Survivor Bora-Bora
by Conor Meyer
Summary: A full Survivor season with all new players, written to recreate the Survivor experience into words. Classic Survivor with Epic strategy and an epic story surviving against the odds. Immerse yourself in a true Survivor experience like no other. This season was written in part to include every strategic move I could think of, so treat yourself to undiscovered strategic ploys.


Conor Meyer

6/10/13

Survivor Dream Season Episode #1

 **Contestants:**

Ganando _Tribe_ : Perdiendo Tribe:

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg Jon Kelly

Pearl Harper Buck Warren

Jack Reynolds Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson Amy Chan

Rosie Hart Pam Lee

Alicia Brown Juan Rodriguez

Mike Lanyon Henry Kaider

Eddy Pablo Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez Diane Baxter

At the start of the season, Jeff Probst immediately bombarded the castaways with a twist.

"Before the opening reward challenge I'd like to offer a mutiny. Maybe you'd like to give your new tribe a numbers advantage or shake things up from the get-go. If anyone would like to step off their mat and join the other tribe you have 10 seconds to do so."

 _This is so stupid,_ thought Peter. _No one's gonna mutiny right at the beginning of the game. There's no pecking order yet and they'll look like a traitor._

But Jon didn't think so.

 _I need to make a big move right now. You gotta go in aggressively. I could start this game on a tribe with a numbers advantage._

Jon stepped off his mat and joined the Ganando tribe. The castaways were shocked and the reward challenge started.

As the Ganando tribe headed back to camp Jack was furious, as a competitive high school basketball coach, he hated losing. When the Ganando tribe lost the opening reward challenge to start the season, it was obvious who caused the defeat to the Perdiendo tribe. He was also angry that he didn't win the individual immunity up for grabs at the reward challenge for 1 person to use at their first vote at tribal council. It went to the Ganando tribe's Mike Lanyon. He was also angry at Peter Larkin, hoping to make a good impression on his tribemates took on the role of the sole puzzle solver in the reward challenge. Despite the rest of the Ganando tribe giving Peter a slight head start against the Perdiendo tribe's puzzle solver: Pam Lee (The Current Record Holder of Solving the Rubik's Cube fastest), Pam quickly solved the puzzle just ahead of Peter. In effect, the Perdiendo tribe won flint and a right to send an observer from their tribe to spy on the losing tribe, they would return to their tribe at the next immunity challenge. They sent Diane Baxter who really connected with Ricky. But Peter hardly noticed her as he was more worried about his position in camp and who to align with.

Sensing that he was being blamed for their tribe's loss, Peter decided to apologize for his performance at the challenge announcing to the whole tribe,

"I'm not going to make any excuses. It was my fault we lost the challenge. You guys did great out there, heck you even gave me a lead. I don't know, usually I'm pretty quick with puzzles but damn that girl was fast. I overestimated myself, I got beat, and I'm sorry. But look guys, that was just a reward let's get our spirits up and win this immunity challenge cause' that's what matters."

Wanting to redeem himself, Peter worked longer than anyone else on making the shelter and made fire singlehandedly using his glasses and a drop of water. Despite his apology and hard work, Jack still felt repulsed by Peter's ineptitude in the challenge and immediately made a majority core 6 person alliance consisting of: Eddy, Joanne, Alicia, Rosie, Ricky, and himself to target Peter. Jack didn't agree with Jon's mutiny but his disgust for Peter overrode it and Jack expanded his alliance to 8 adding Pearl and Jon as affiliates, leaving out Peter, Jenn: the obviously weakest member of the tribe as she weighed no more than 90 pounds, and Mike: who was deemed weak due to him having only one eye. Jack made no attempt to hide the alliance or his disgust for Peter, openly slandering Peter's name to his new allies hissing,

"He's a cancer to our tribe. We can't tolerate weakness. We need to keep the tribe strong. We can't have liabilities like him."

Peter, who had been trying to analyze all the castaways to figure out who to align with, was horrified when he overheard this. As a super fan of survivor, he knew that it was always a good idea to pick your allies carefully to ensure future success. But it was a risk spending time analyzing people if others create alliances already that exclude you. That was a risk he took and paid the consequences when he was outcast by Jack's majority alliance that was made immediately. Peter knew that the hastily made alliance would crumble, but he wondered if he would still be in the game to capitalize on its destruction. Regardless he made an alliance with the other 2 excluded members of the tribe: Jennifer Rosenberg and Mike Lanyon, along with Pearl Harper who was in both alliances. Knowing he was probably the first target of Jack's alliance he mentally prepared himself for the upcoming immunity challenge.

The challenge was a survivor classic, each tribemember faced off against a tribe member of the other tribe. Each pairing had to take part in a duel where they had to knock the other off a large platform using a large padded duffel bag. If you knocked off your opponent, you earned a point for your tribe. The first tribe to 7 points wins. Jack, asserting his leadership by assigning who each person from his tribe would face off against set Peter: a 21-year-old, 120 pound, feeble looking man against the Perdiendo tribe's strongest man, Buck Warren: a heavy-set, strong, 250 pound, good ol' boy from Georgia. Unbeknownst to Jack, Peter was actually quite the athlete; he was small but wiry and was a state finalist for wrestling in high school. But despite Peter winning both of his heats against Buck Warren, scoring his team 2 points, he was not redeemed to Jack when they still lost the challenge, and he continued to lobby against him as tribal council approached.

Peter felt trapped as tribal council neared. The sudden rain storm that hit the land seemed to symbolize Peter's impending doom. He had few options. He could try to swing some of Jack's alliance to vote with him but he knew that was futile as long as Jack kept the alliances segregated. Suddenly as hope seemed to be lost, he heard Rosie; the older, kind woman he never paid much mind to, cry out from the shelter,

"I can't take this anymore!"

Rosie then ran off to the direction of the well sobbing. Peter's first reaction was, _what a drama queen._ But a light bulb went off in his head; he knew swinging Pearl to his alliance would be both difficult and only result in a 6-5 vote as a best case scenario. But if he could convince Rosie to quit, the 3 days he would be granted from it might be enough time to crack Jack's alliance. Peter bolted off to the well. He saw Rosie sitting with her hands masking her face, and sobbing.

"Rosie, what's the matter?" He asked gently.

"It's just, It's just, I-I miss my kids so much, I miss my family, I miss my warm home. Why did I sign up for this? Why would I want to be cold, wet, and miserable? Why would I want to be away from my family? It just all hit me when the rain came down."

 _What a weakling. I'd kill to be here. Now my ass is in the sling, I'm fighting to survive and this lady wants to quit!_ Peter thought. But logic prevailed and he kept his thoughts in check.

"Jack keeps saying not to be weak, and I don't wanna be but this is so hard. But I wanna be an example for my kids, what would they think of me if I quit?"

Peter interrupted her before she could say anymore, knowing that she was talking herself out of quitting,

"They would think you're strong and you care about them."

Rosie sniffled, "What?"

"You're strong because you weren't a sheep. You didn't just give in to Jack and do whatever he wanted. You know you're priorities. Do you wanna follow Jack and be here even though you don't want to? Or do you want to be with your kids; who you really care about?"

"Well, Um…"

"Being on survivor is an adventure but only if you enjoy it, if you don't then you shouldn't force yourself to be on. Especially for a mother like you. I remember when I was a kid, I would cry whenever my mom or dad left for even a week. Can you imagine how they feel with you leaving for 39 days? They are your priority, Right?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then go, no one will be disappointed in you. Your kids need you, Rosie. They miss you. I'm proud of you for listening to yourself and they will be too."

Peter left Pearl to ponder with his information, knowing if it didn't convince her to quit, he was gone. The Ganando tribe headed off to tribal council.

Peter's palms were sweaty and he felt as if he were inside of an oven. He was constantly rubbing his forehead and didn't feel comfortable in his seat. He wondered,

 _Should I just have tried to flip Rosie to my side, making a 5-5 tie and hoping for the best in a revote? Could she see through my BS about her kids? This is it, my Survivor life depends on a feeble-minded 60-year-old woman. If she doesn't quit, I'm gone. I should've just made an alliance from the get-go and worried about how dysfunctional it would be later._

Peter didn't even hear half of Jeff Probst's questions about how the tribe is doing and what not until he heard Jack say the word "cancer." Which had now become synonymous with his name.

"He's a cancer to our tribe, He's weak in challenges. We need to trim the fat from this tribe. He's a schemer, he's a threat, he's sneaky, and you can't trust him. He needs to be eliminated," said a confident Jack.

It irked Peter how one challenge caused Jack to despise him so much especially after Jack lost both his heats in the immunity challenge contributing to their loss. Fortunately, Jeff read his mind, pointing out to Jack,

"Well, Peter did win both his heats in the immunity challenge and, you lost both of your heats."

"Thank you, Jeff," piped Peter.

 _"_ How does it feel hearing all this blame come your way, does it affect camp life?" Jeff asked Peter.

"You know, first impressions are huge. It doesn't help that we started this game immediately with a challenge. Failure is not usually the thing you want people to see out of you first. But I feel like I have proven myself in the last challenge and working at camp but Jack is going to be the way Jack is going to be and that's fine. He doesn't like me. In fact he has completely excluded me, Jenn, Pearl, and Mike. No if that's his idea of a social game that's fine, but when you ostracize people and start making speeches, it can come back to bite you."

"You think it'll come back to bite me? We'll see who goes home tonight," threatened Jack.

"So at least one person thinks you're on the outs in this tribe," said Jeff.

"I know I am. My ass is in the sling. I need a miracle," announced Peter.

"camp life doesn't sound too good."

"Nope, Jeff it isn't," replied Peter.

"Well other than social issues there has also been quite a storm that has hit you guys. Has that affected camp life at all?"

"Yes," replied Rosie. Peter was delighted to hear her voice start to crack already.

"How bad is it?" asked a curious Jeff picking up on her tone of voice.

"It really made me realize what my priorities are. It's cold, it's wet, it's miserable out here. This is not the place for me. My kids need me. My family needs me. I don't know why I'm out here. I belong with my family," cries Rosie with her voice cracking.

"So do you want out of this game?" asked Jeff.

"Rosie we need you. You have to be strong. You can't leave," interrupted an impatient Jack.

Peter sat back as his plan came to fruition.

"I'm tired of listening to you Jack. I am my own person. I'm not just gonna do what you say. This is my life, and I need to be there for my family.," responded Rosie with more confidence in her voice.

"And for the rest of you, don't just follow him. He's a manipulative, controlling despot," were Rosie's parting words to the tribe before Jeff snuffed her torch saying,

"You wanna go. Go."

 **Contestants:**

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

 **Peter's Alliance:**

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon Henry Kaider

 **Jack's alliance:**

Pearl Harper (both) Buck Warren

Jack Reynolds Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee

Alicia Brown Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez Diane Baxter

Jon Kelley

Returning from camp, Jack wasn't furious but rather in a state of shock. Jack couldn't understand why Rosie would quit. _How could my alliance be so weak?_ He wondered. He relaxed himself, knowing that at least his alliance still had a 4 member advantage against Peter's. Jack went to sleep before everyone.

Jon knew he was still a bit of an outsider in the camp despite being a part of the majority alliance and was hoping for some security by looking for the hidden immunity idol. When the tribe got back to camp and everyone went to bed, he searched the forest. He checked under the bridge on their little stream and along the trail until he found an odd-looking tree that was mushroom-shaped and bigger than all the rest. There was a spot in the tree that was hollow and he could barely fit inside. He got in and immediately noticed a small notch. Sure enough, when he reached his hand inside he found the Hidden Immunity Idol.

 _That was easy,_ thought Jon. And Jon slept comfortably that night.

Peter was thinking about how close he was to getting voted out that night as he lay in bed. _Had we voted, I would have been gone. Well, hopefully we'll win the next challenge and I won't have to worry about tribal for awhile._

But Peter's wishes didn't come true as the reward challenge had players hit 5 large targets with a coconut sling shot and the Perdiendo tribe's sharpshooting by Buck won them the reward of fruit trees to be planted in their camp. The Ganando tribe's bad luck continued as they lost the memory based immunity challenge thanks to Pam's remarkable memory.

The outcast alliance of 3 found themselves in a similar situation as Jack's alliance of 7 planned to split their votes to take out either Peter or Jen. Peter figured this and knew if he could just flip one person onto his side he could keep his alliance intact for one more vote. He sensed that Pearl was on the outside of Jack's alliance because she was an older woman and Jack hated weakness. So he approached her.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" asked Peter.

"Sure," answered Pearl and they walked away from the public environment of the tribe shelter, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I know it's probably me tonight."

"Yeah."

"But it doesn't have to be."

"That's true, it could be Jen. Either way works for me."

"No, what I'm saying is-that doesn't work for you."

"Why not? I'm safe."

"It's nice to see how much you care about me, but me going home doesn't benefit you. Yes, you're safe for this vote and maybe 2 votes after that but then it's you. You're 7th,"

"How do you know that?"

"Jack's all about keeping the tribe strong and let's face it, you're an older woman. The only reason you're in his "strong" alliance was because he was rallying people to get rid of me. Once I'm gone, he's looking at you."

"That's not true."

"Well then why were you the last person to hear about the split-vote plan?" asked Peter. He actually didn't know for certain that there was a split-vote plan or if Pearl was the last to know, but he suspected it and he was hoping to sound like he was confident.

"How did you know that? Who told you?"

"It doesn't matter all that matters is it's true. You're 7th in a 7 person alliance. How long do you think an alliance that being is gonna stay strong?"

"Okay, well what do you suggest I do? It's not like if I join you we have a majority, it'll still be a 6-4 disadvantage."

"Yes but because you're splitting the vote, if you jump to our side the 4 of us could make a plurality."

"What vote with your alliance?"

"Yes! And we'll get this vote and take out Jack. It'll be the biggest move ever!"

"So we take out Jack, and then what? Even if it works, at the next tribal council we'll be down 5-4."

"But then you'll have a chance. Instead of being stuck at 7, we flip one more person and you're in a real majority and I'll take you to the top 3" pleaded Peter desperately.

"I'm sorry, I can't take that big a risk without a solid reward," said Pearl before walking off.

Peter was desperate but he knew if he was going to flip someone Pearl was his chance. Nonetheless, he talked to the other people in Jack's alliance with no effect. Meanwhile Jack solidified his plans.

"Alright, here's how it's gonna go. The 4 guys will vote Peter, the 3 girls will vote Jen. That way even if one of 'em has an idol the other's toast. Easy enough?" asked Jack.

"What if they vote against each other? Or if 2 vote against the other? Then we won't know who will go," pointed out Ricky.

"I would like to directly control the vote and get rid of Peter, but this time we won't have control, but no matter what one of them will go."

"What if there's a tie and a revote?" asked Ricky.

"There shouldn't be. Since we're splitting 4-3, if no one plays an idol-Peter goes home. If Peter plays an idol and there's a 3-3 tie then we vote for Jen," answered Jack.

Peter sat for hours trying to think of a plan. He knew that he could simply save himself by voting for Jen and convincing Mike to do the same and he kept that in mind but with the alliance so young, if it were to have any chance of surviving he knew he couldn't turn on his allies without it crumbling. And he knew that without an alliance he was as good as done.

 _But if I can't save my whole alliance I have to think of myself,"_ he reminded.

 _H_ e thought of a desperate plan and decided to tell mike.

"I don't know. I don't think it'll work," responded Mike.

"I know it's a stretch but it's the only chance we have to save us," pleaded Peter.

"I feel like if I try it and it doesn't work, I'll be in a bad spot."

"We're already in the minority, how much worse can it be? Besides you have immunity."

"I know, I'm just not comfortable doing it."

"We have to try. Remember we made this alliance and we said we'd do anything to keep each other here? This is the only way, I've thought of every scenario. Trust me if there was any other way I'd try it."

"I know, I know. It's just against my morals. I'll think about it."

"Thank you so much, Mike."

By now there was only about 15 minutes before tribal council and Mike went over to the men of Jack's alliance who hung out separately from the women.

"Hey guys, I wanted to talk to you about something," said Mike.

"If it's about the vote don't bother. The cancer already tried to flip us, we're not budging," announced Jack.

"It's actually the opposite. I want to vote with you."

"So you've finally come to your senses, huh?" asked Jack sneeringly.

"Yes, you were right. Peter needs to be out of this game and frankly I'm tired of being in the minority."

"You've conspired with him already, how could we trust you?" asked Jack.

"What could I have up my sleeve? I want to vote with you against him."

"Can you give us a minute?" asked Jack to consult the other men.

"Do you believe him?" asked Jack.

"I don't see what he do to hurt us if he's voting with us," reasoned Ricky.

"And if we have his vote to make a 4-4 tie with Jen and Peter, then we can decide who goes in a revote rather than the having the threat of 2 of them vote against Jen to save Peter," realized Jack.

"That means the only thing that can save Peter is the idol," said Jon with a sneer.

"And I don't think he has it, but we'll split the vote to be sure. Let's let Mike in," announced Jack.

"Alright Mike, you can vote with us. As it stands now, the 4 of us are voting against Peter and the Women are voting for Jen. You'll vote with the women and if all goes well we'll have a 4-4 tie at tribal council and in the revote, we'll grant your wish and take out Peter," informed Jack.

"Thank you so much," said Mike.

"No problem, I'm glad we have the same thoughts about the cancer. Now go tell the women you're with them. Hurry, there's only about 5 minutes before tribal council."

The women were packing up for tribal council when Mike got to them.

"Hey ladies, can we talk for a minute?" asked Mike.

"It has to be literally a minute because we have to go soon," piped Alicia.

"This won't take long. I'm voting with you against Jen."

"You are? What happened with your alliance with Peter?"

"As you can see it wasn't a very successful alliance but that's beside the point."

"Wait, but that kmeans we'll have a 4-4 tie at tribal. Jack didn't tell us who to vote for in the a revote because there wasn't going to be one before," realized Pearl.

"Exactly, that's what Jack needed me to tell you, in that case we vote out Jen."

"Jen? But Jack hates Peter, wouldn't he want him out?"

"If we had time you could ask him yourself, but he told me that even though he hates Peter, he needs to keep the tribe strong and Jen's a liability."

That comment worried Pearl. _Oh my God, Peter's right. Jack's thinking more about tribe strength than his hate for Peter. That means he'll target me soon. But I can't join Peter even Mike didn't defect, I'd still be out. What am I gonna do after this tribal?_

 _I just saved your ass Peter, you owe me for this,_ thought Mike.

Before tribal, Jon snatched up the idol from his hiding spot. _I know I won't need this but hey, why not?_

When the Ganando tribe arrived at tribal council, Jeff greeted them with an insult.

"It's nice to see I got a second date out of you guys. How does it feel to start off this game with a 2 person advantage thanks to you Jon, lose the first 4 challenges and now give up your lead entirely?"

"It feels great Jeff. All this losing has tribe morale up, Jack blaming people for challenges has this tribe united, and the constant rain is keeping us nice and dry," said Peter bitterly.

"Okay obvious sarcasm."

"Naw, you think, Jeff?"

"So, what I got out of that is there's a lot of negativity, which in your mind may come from Jack blaming people for challenges?"

"No, Jack calls me 'cancer' as a term of endearment," responded Peter wittily.

"How do you feel about that Jack?" asked Jeff.

"I give blame where blame's due and he's one of the main weaknesses of the tribe which we need to keep strong."

Pearl looked at Jack with fear and disgust at that comment.

"Are you saying that Peter is a challenge liability, because he hit the most targets in the reward challenge?" asked Jeff.

"Thank you!" said Peter.

"He might not always be the biggest challenge liabilities but he's a cancer and weasel, and once he's gone, we can start worrying about challenge liabilities," announced Jack.

Knowing Jack was digging his own grave, Peter egged him on.

"So you said 'weaknesses,' who else do you perceive as weak here?" asked Peter.

"That doesn't matter right now, all that matters is that the 6 of us are taking you out tonight," threatened Jack.

Peter knew Jack had a core alliance of 6 excluding Pearl and capitalized on Jack's mistake.

"What 6? Who's gonna vote me out?"

"You know very well who's gonna vote you out. It's me, Ricky, Eddy, Jon, Alicia, and Joanne and there's nothing you can do about it," said Jack heated.

Peter smiled. He could have pointed out how Jack said all the males then the females in his alliance but he stuck with his victory and asked.

"So where does that put Pearl or Mike for that matter?" asked Peter triumphantly.

"Mike is voting with us but he's yet to join the alliance because he has to prove his loyalty," said Jack trying to hide the fact that he forgot Pearl.

"Um, what about Pearl?" pushed Peter.

"Oh yes, 7-Pearl. There's 7 people against you," said Jack.

"So Pearl's 7th, boom. How does that make you feel Pearl?" asked Peter.

"Wait, wait, wait. There is no 7th, we're a team," said Jack trying to control the damage.

"Then why didn't you include her in you count? You know, you can tell if someone doesn't care about you if they completely forget about you. Now, I asked Pearl how she feels. Since, you don't even give her a spot in your memory bank, the least you can do is allow her right to speak."

"Um, well, uh, I'm kinda stuck for this tribal council but this is very revealing about my future and I'll leave it at that," said Pearl shocked.

"Okay, that was a wild tribal council. I barely had to speak, but I wanna see how all this shakes out, so let's get to the vote. Mike, even though tribal council was held last time, no vote occurred and therefore you still hold immunity as this is the first vote. As always you keep it or assign it to someone else," announced Jeff.

"This is a little crazy Jeff, I think I'll keep it for myself," chose Mike.

"Alright, with that it is time to vote, Jon-you're up."

When Jon got to the voting booth he wrote down Peter's name but spelled it "Gonor," and said,

"We don't even need to split the vote. I have the idol, but you'll go home anyway. Good riddance, I'm sick of you and you're scheming. I got the idol, I'm top dog."

When Jen reached the voting booth and wrote down Peter's name she said,

"This is risky, but you gotta do what you have to, to stay in the game right?"

Once everyone voted, Jack tallied the votes, returned and said,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so." He paused. Jack's alliance looked to Peter except for Jon who was grinning and no one stood up. "I'll read the votes." He reached into the urn, opened the first vote and said,

"First vote-Peter."

"Peter."

"Peter."

"Jen. That's 3 votes Peter, 1 vote Jen."

"Peter."

"Jen. That's 4 votes Peter, 2 votes Jen."

"Peter."

Peter gulped and Jack smiled knowing the fifth vote was Jen's.

"Jen."

"Jen. 5 votes Peter, 4 votes Jen, 1 vote left."

"Jen. We're tied. Here's what's gonna happen. We're gonna revote. Peter and Jen since you are tied you cannot vote. Everyone else will vote for either Peter or Jen. Mike can you get the urn."

After everyone voted again, Jack collected the votes and said,

"I'll read the votes."

"First vote-Peter."

"Jen. 1 vote Peter, 1 vote Jen."

"Peter."

"Peter."

"Peter. That's 4 votes Peter, 1 vote Jen."

Peter buried his face into his sweaty palms and despite being agnostic, he prayed.

"Jen."

Peter peeped his eyes out of the cracks of his fingers.

"Jen. That's 4 votes Peter, 3 votes Jen, 1 vote left."

"Last vote-Jen. We are dead-locked. Per the rules of Survivor: Jack, Alicia, Ricky, Pearl, Eddy, Joanne, Jon, and Mike- if the 8 of you can _unanimously_ come up with one name, either Peter or Jen, they're eliminated. If not, Peter and Jen become immune and Mike remains safe because he has the immunity necklace. That means the 7 of you-Jack, Alicia, Ricky, Pearl, Eddy, Joanne, and Jon will draw rocks."

"Wait, Jeff, I'd like to play the hidden immunity idol to protect me from the rocks," cried Jon scrambling and pulling out his hidden immunity idol.

"I'm sorry but the hidden immunity idol can only be used before the votes are read. You cannot play it," informed Jeff.

"All right guys, let's pick a person. I don't care who, I just don't wanna draw rocks," cried Jon.

"You had the hidden immunity idol?!" exclaimed Pearl.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Ricky.

"That's beside the point right now, we're picking Peter, he doesn't have the idol and he's vulnerable, this is our chance. Does everyone agree on that?" asked Jack firmly.

Everyone said yes but Mike.

"No, I disagree. Whatever you do, I'm doing the opposite because I want rocks. It's not unanimous," claimed Mike.

"Fine, we'll take Jen," pleaded Jon.

"It doesn't matter, I'll do the opposite," said Mike firmly.

"Jeff, that's not fair, he's not even picking a person, he just wants to go to rocks," complained Jack.

"It's not against the rules and that means unfortunately for you 7, Mike's right. The decision is not unanimous because he wants rocks so that means Jack, Alicia, Ricky, Pearl, Eddy, Joanne, and Jon. You will draw rocks. There are 6 yellow rocks and there is 1 purple rock. Yellow means you are safe, purple's out."

"No!" screamed Jon, but it was too late. Jeff got the bag and the rocks and everyone picked one.

"Hold out your palms," instructed Jeff, "and reveal."

Jon had the purple rock and hung his head in shame.

"The first person voted out of survivor Bora-Bora- Jon. Jon, you'll have to bring me your torch. Jon brought his torch and felt his idol in his pocket as Jeff snuffed his flame and said,

"Jon, your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

 **First Vote:**

Jack-Peter

Ricky-Peter

Eddy-Peter

Jon-Peter

Jen-Peter

 **5 votes Peter**

Alicia-Jen

Pearl-Jen

Joanne-Jen

Peter-Jen

Mike-Jen

 **Revote**

Jack-Peter

Ricky-Peter

Eddy-Peter

Jon-Peter

 **4 votes Peter**

Alicia-Jen

Pearl-Jen

Joanne-Jen

Mike-Jen

 **4 votes Jen**

 **5 votes Jen**

 **Purple Rock:**

 **Jon**

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 2

 **X-eliminated**

 **Contestants:**

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

 **Peter's Alliance:**

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon Henry Kaider

Pearl Harper Buck Warren

 **Jack's alliance:**

Jack Reynolds Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee

Alicia Brown Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez Diane Baxter

Jon Kelley **X**

Returning back from tribal council, Pearl, impressed by Peter's move and angry with Jack not including her in the alliance joined Peter's outcasts. Jack knew this would happen but was still confused. _What happened? How have we managed to lose 3 people to Peter when we had such a majority? Why did I listen to Mike?_

Peter on the other hand, was ecstatic, he knew that his scrambling was the sole reason he was still in the game. He celebrated with Mike and thanked him.

"I told you it would work! I told you. I knew we could keep all 3 of us here and now we have 4!" exclaimed Peter.

"I know, it was a ballsy plan and it worked," said Mike.

"Thanks to you! You saved my ass. You did all the convincing, I owe you big time."

"Hey, we're allies, right? We look out for each other."

Despite Peter's excitement, he knew he was still in hot water, Jack's alliance who Peter nicknamed _The Follower Five_ or _The Feeble-minded Five (_ the names wereinterchangeable) still had 1 more person than his outcast four. But he knew if he could flip one person onto his side permanently he would have the power.

 **Peter's Philosophy**

Peter had a theory about flipping people into different alliances. Several times in _Survivor,_ a minority alliance tries to flip members of the majority onto their side permanently and it hardly ever works. In fact, this happens in just about every season of _Survivor_ and each minority alliance had pretty much the same approach. It was, "Hey you're on the bottom of your alliance and once your alliance finishes us off, you'll be the first to be cannibalized. But if you come to our side then you'll still be on the bottom of the totem pole, you'll just be on the bottom of _our_ totem pole." Sure, most people try to lie and say they won't be cannibalized first from _their_ alliance but they hardly ever provide a very well-supported reason other than "trust me."

The deal just doesn't sound very enticing. In Peter's mind, for a deal to work, the person you're trying to flip must understand your motive to flip them (why it helps you) and why it would help them to flip. There must also a guarantee that the flip will work. If all these criteria are not met, 99% of the time an alliance flip attempt will fail. The reasons why people don't flip into new alliances are: it usually doesn't help them, there is usually no verification as to why that person is on the bottom of their alliance, and most people procrastinate. Procrastination is in the nature of most humans. By saying, "You're going to be cannibalized once my alliance is gone," you are giving the person you are trying to flip a cushion. The reaction of most people to this statement is, "Sweet, I can relax till that alliance is gone. But wait, what happens then? Will I go home first? Eh, I'll cross that bridge when I get there." Peter knew there has to be intimidation in a flip scenario; they must feel as if they are in some sort of danger to consider changing their game plan. People are also non-committal and dislike change. Joining a new, permanent alliance is scary. For Peter to flip someone into his alliance he needed to establish trust first (unless it's the beginning of the game). This is why permanent alliance flips must be done over time or else they are too risky. In Peter's situation, where he has to flip someone to vote with him before next tribal, time is a luxury he does not have. Therefore, the most successful power move to keep him in the game would most likely be convincing someone to vote with him just once, out of necessity. Peter went to bed trying to formulate a successful plan.

 **Story Continued**

As Peter laid awake thinking, he heard some rustling. He sat up and looked over to see Eddy and Joanne snuggling quite close. He lay back down and thought of how to use this information. Peter woke early and made sure everyone was still sleeping. _That's good,_ Peter thought. He tended to the fire and made some rice until everyone woke up. He handed out the small portions of rice to everyone. The morning talk delighted him. It seemed as if more people noticed the relationship between Eddy and Joanne. Almost everyone made a joke about it. Although, ostensibly these jokes were lighthearted, Peter sensed that they were also warnings. Once people started to disperse started off to tree mail and motioned for Mike and Pearl. As they walked he ordered,

"Go talk to Eddy and Joanne privately. I don't care what you talk about just make it look suspicious and then come back." They obeyed. Peter retrieved tree mail and read it to everyone, not really taking note of what it said. His mind was too occupied with the task at hand. Afterwards, Peter sat back down by the pot and waited for Mike and Pearl to come back. When they did, he started walking with them in the direction of the well. He informed them,

"I have a plan that'll save us. All we're doing here is making sure the pieces fit. I'm gonna make up a story to get Ricky and Alicia to flip."

Peter came back to the pot and asked Ricky and Alicia,

"Hey, I'm going fishing. Do you guys wanna come?"

They both looked at Peter and nodded. As they walked and paddled out from shore Peter was relieved. Not only does he have a long time to work them in privacy, but he also picked the right people. Ricky and Alicia were not a romantic pair, so they wouldn't raise too many alarm bells but they were somewhat connected. Peter sensed they were in an uneasy alliance. Peter knew the alliance would not last because Alicia was loud, rash, and seemed to spout off whatever came to mind. Ricky, however, was cool and calculated, thinking out all scenarios. But because Eddy and Joanne were an obvious pair, and Jack wanted to be the sole leader, they were matched by default. There was no trust between them, but until one betrayed the other, each decision they would make, they would make together. It would not take much to turn these two against each other, but as of now, if Peter were to propose a plan to them, they would either both reject it or both agree.

As the three of them got situated and put all their hooks in the water, Peter gingerly brought up the subject of Eddy and Joanne,

"Eddy and Joanne look pretty cozy, don't they?"

"Well, I heard them snugglin' last night," said Alicia.

"They could very well be a pair," Ricky pointed out.

 _Perfect,_ Thought Peter, _It's much easier to convince someone of something that they already expect. Because people love to hear that they're right._

"2 people who are that close are dangerous. They'll never vote against each other. That's why pairs need to be split up," explained Peter.

"Pairs are dangerous," agreed Ricky.

"They're paranoid too," hinted Peter.

"How so?" asked Ricky.

"Last night, I heard them checking everyone's bags for the hidden immunity idol."

"Isn't that against the rules?" asked Alicia.

"Nope, but it's just wrong."

He continued, "You know, this morning they were talking to Mike and Pearl about voting for you, Alicia."

"Why?" asked Alicia.

"They said you were loud, annoying, and you didn't deserve to be here."

"I should take them out right now," said Alicia.

"The smart thing for you guys to do is if me, the both of you, Mike, Jenn, and Pearl all vote Eddy."

 _Oh my God, that would be so dumb. If they vote off Eddy their alliance will lose the majority!_ Peter thought with a concealed smug smile.

"This is a power move. If I have you guys on board, then it'll work. We need to split themup."

Ricky and Alicia looked at each other and then Ricky said,

"We need to talk about it." Peter felt they were considering it. Just then, Peter's pole vibrated as a fish got caught.

"Just remember. They're gonna deny this whole thing. They're gonna say they're voting for me."

"Got it."

The three of them paddled back to camp with the fish. Peter was optimistic, hoping Alicia's rash and confrontational personality would make her vote for Eddy without thinking of the consequences.

Ricky went to go have a talk with Alicia.

"I really think we should just stick with the 5," he reasoned.

"You can say that because they're not voting for you," countered Alicia.

"If we do this then we give up our alliance's majority."

The pair continued to argue and finally both left the issue unresolved.

Peter was watching the argument. He had climbed the closest tree he could find without being detected. He couldn't quite hear but he could see their body language and he didn't like what he saw.

An hour later Alicia came up to Peter by the river.

"I don't think I can go through with it, I mean, I want them out but…it's Ricky."

"Ricky?" Peter asked with a dumbfounded voice.

"Yeah."

"Have you talked with him?"

"We argued about an hour ago."

"Ha! Thank God, you scared me."

"What?"

"Ricky came up to me not 15 minutes ago, saying he'd go through with it."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, he seemed a little defeated, but we got the votes. We already got 5, there's no sense in not doing it now."

"Glory, Glory. I couldn't stand to let that punk Eddy stay alive after saying my name. I gotta go thank Ricky."

"I wouldn't. He seemed a little upset about it, you should probably just let him be."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right."

 _I can't have them comparing notes,_ thought Peter. What he devised was a Survivor style Ponzi scheme. He aimed to get Ricky and Alicia to each invest their votes by giving them the other person's vote in the form of a promise. In effect, he would secure both their votes using the belief that the other person's vote was already secure. But he still had to talk to Ricky.

Ricky had been watching Peter and Alicia talk, and Peter knew it, but he also knew he was far enough away to not hear. Peter just looked at Ricky and silently waited.

"Look, Peter, umm, I can't, uhh…" Ricky stammered, pressured by Peter's gaze.

"I know you can't. I know why. You don't want to lose numbers, you don't want to leave your alliance, I get it."

"Yeah."

"But I already have the numbers, and your alliance is Alicia."

A look of realization came unto Ricky's face.

"Alicia just told me she has to look out for herself and she's voting Eddy. That's already 5. We already have the votes. It doesn't make sense for you not to come with us. I want to work with you.

"I know you don't want to leave your alliance, but there's no alliance there. Jack wants to lead, it doesn't matter who. And Eddy and Joanne, they're loyal to each other, not you. Alicia's your alliance and if you don't vote with her against the people who want her out…"

"It's gonna look like I'm gunning for her too."

Peter's mood was dampened when they lost the reward challenge for a cage of chickens, but more so by Buck Warren: the representative from the other tribe. Buck decided to eat the whole fish that Peter caught. The tribe's spirit was drained come time for the immunity challenge. It was a challenge used before, where 6 tribe members would unearth puzzle pieces while the other two solved the giant puzzle. The Ganando tribe was obliterated with Buck Warren easily unearthing puzzle pieces and Pam Lee easily solving the puzzle for the Perdiendo tribe. Peter's plan would have to work as his tribe would have to face tribal council again.

With all this work to pave the way for his alliance, Peter made sure to secure his final 4 deal with Mike, Jenn, and Pearl and then got to work with securing a final 3 deal with Mike and Jenn. He told them,

"We're going all the way to the end. We need to trust each other because we can only make it together. This is how it has to happen, from the beginning. We've already faced so much. We're gonna overcome Jack's alliance. We're gonna get to the final 4 and then it'll be us three as the final 3. But we can't tell Pearl or she'll flip on us, okay."

He then made the same deal with Jenn and Pearl, telling them the same thing. He then told Jenn privately,

"Look, either way we go. Once we get to the final 4, we get to choose who goes with us: Mike or Pearl. We're good either way. It's me and you in the end no matter what."

With that, Peter had sub alliances with everyone within his alliance to ensure everyone took him to the end and so everyone thought they had a superior position to keep their mouths shut and to keep them from flipping. Finally as tribal council loomed Peter checked with Alicia and Ricky separately. He made sure to see that they hadn't spoken.

Peter told his alliance to vote for Eddy, assuring them the vote will go their way with Alicia and Ricky's votes. They obeyed. _I have them under control like zombies,_ thought Peter.

With everything in place Peter was hopeful as the Ganando tribe headed off to tribal council.

Peter officially made the time where Jeff Probst asks everyone pointless questions his thinking time. During that time, Peter had an idea to prepare for the next tribal. He knew that if Ricky or Alicia were telling the truth they _both_ were telling the truth, in which case Peter would have 6 of the tribe's 9 votes going to Eddy, making 1 vote unnecessary. And if Ricky or Alicia were playing him then they _both_ were playing him, in which case Peter would be screwed anyway since he assumed Jack's alliance was voting for him. So Peter could use that one extra vote without risk.

Peter barely listened to the tribal council talk, but he knew that the tribe was discussing the tribal alliances, with Jack again calling Peter, and now Peter's whole alliance all "cancer." Jeff then asked Peter,

"How does it feel to still be outnumbered with Jack so adamantly against you?"

"Well, I've tried working with him and it doesn't work. He's got it in his head that I'm a "cancer" but he's wrong, I'm actually a Gemini." The tribe chuckled. "No but really, I know I'm outnumbered but it's never good to ostracize people and I have a feeling it will cost him," said Peter portentously.

"What do you think about Jack's treatment of Peter, Alicia?'

"Well, I don't know about the whole "cancer" stuff but Jack's in power. So hey."

"So hey, what? So hey, Jack's in power so you just obey him?" asked Jeff.

"If that's what I've gotta do," replied Alicia. That comment put Peter on edge, but he sensed that Alicia was putting on an act which reassured him that Alicia and Ricky would follow through.

So when it was time to vote, Peter wrote down Alicia. For a very long time Jeff tallied the votes, probably figuring out how to read them. In that time, Peter started to doubt and the familiar sweat he experienced from last tribal returned. He wondered, _Did Ricky and Alicia actually vote with me? Most people in a majority alliance don't flip. Or maybe just one of them flipped? Did I just screw myself by throwing away my vote to Alicia?_ Peter tried to relax by reminding himself, _If Ricky and Alicia are playing me, they both are. If they're telling the truth, they're both telling the truth._

Jeff finally returned and said,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so." He paused and no one stood up. "I'll read the votes." He reached into the urn, opened the first vote and said,

"First vote-Peter." _Of course,_ thought Peter, _I have the first vote. They spelled my damn name wrong._ (It was spelled "Konnir") Jeff read the next vote,

"Alicia." Her jaw dropped and her eyes darted the room searching for a look of guilt.

"Eddy. That's 1 vote Peter, 1 vote Alicia, and 1 vote Eddy."

"Eddy. 2 votes Eddy."

"Peter."

"Peter. That's 3 votes Peter, 2 votes Eddy, 1 vote Alicia." Peter buried his face in his palms.

"Eddy. We're tied. 3 votes Peter, 3 votes Eddy."

"Eddy. 4 votes Eddy, 3 votes Peter, 1 vote left."

"2nd person voted off of Survivor Bora-Bora-Eddy. That's 5, that's enough, you need to bring me your torch." A stunned Eddy stood up, and brought Jeff his torch. As he snuffed it Jeff said,

"Eddy, your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go." And Eddy walked off without looking back at anyone.

 **Vote**

Peter-Alicia

 **1 vote Alicia**

Jack-Peter

Eddy-Peter

Joanne-Peter

 **3 votes Peter**

Mike-Eddy

Jenn-Eddy

Ricky-Eddy

Alicia-Eddy

Pearl-Eddy

 **5 votes Eddy**

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 3

 **X-eliminated**

 **Contestants:**

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

 **Peter's Alliance:**

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon Henry Kaider

Pearl Harper Buck Warren

 **Jack's alliance:**

Jack Reynolds Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee

Alicia Brown Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez Diane Baxter

Jon Kelly **X**

Peter walked back to camp happily. He finally reduced Jack's alliance to have the same amount of people as Peter's. His plan worked and his throwaway vote set him up perfectly to survive the next tribal council. No one would suspect it would be him who made the throwaway vote as Peter was the one who orchestrated Eddy's blindside. He would have no ostensible reason to vote for Alicia.

The vote for Alicia did exactly what Peter intended it to do. When Alicia arrived at camp she was furious; not expecting anyone to vote for her. She was so furious, she didn't even wonder why Eddy and Joanne voted for Peter instead of Ricky or herself like Peter had said. She instead went into a crazed tantrum. Peter predicted this would happen due to Alicia's loud and unstable personality. She shouted at everyone,

"Who the f**k voted for my ass? Y'all be some shady motherf**kin b*tches. Lemme tell you. If I find out who voted for me, I will F**k them up. Straight up! Go behind my back. Sh*t. I ain't done nuthin to nobody! What y'all be scared now?! Now you ain't talkin. Y'all wasn't scared to write my name down. You should be scared. I am one nasty b*tch, and Imma f**k up the shady b*tch who voted for me…" she continued on and on. Eventually Peter stopped listening. However, he was worried that when he told her who voted for her, Alicia might not be able to keep her mouth shut, being as rash as she is.

Peter wanted to talk to Alicia as soon as possible but he knew it would be a bad idea to talk to her in her rage. She wasn't thinking clearly and would try to confront the person who voted for her. That is not what Peter wanted. So Peter went to sleep, eager to wake up and initiate his plan.

Alicia was still smoldering the next morning but not quite so volatile. After breakfast, the tribe usually disperses to work or socialize. Peter took his time before talking to Alicia. He chatted with Ricky by the beach. Then he talked with his allies. Finally, when Alicia went to get some firewood, Peter tagged along. Noticing Alicia's impatience, Peter got straight to the point,

"You know, right before tribal council, Ricky tried to strong arm me, Jenn, Mike, and Pearl into voting for you."

"What? Why? Why Ricky?"

"I don't think he ever wanted to vote out Eddy, I think he just told me that so he could catch me off guard right before tribal."

"That shady motherf**kin sonofab*tch!" cried Alicia as she drove her machete into a tree.

"I didn't have enough time to tell you; I'm sorry Alicia.I feel so stupid, I fell right for it…he's so convincing."

"Wow," said Alicia.

"I still didn't think he'd vote for you. But I was talking to him by the water and he was mad at me for not voting you off last night," hinted Peter as he chopped a dead branch from a tree.

"He wants me out again," realized Alicia

"He told me-we need to get rid of you as soon as possible to 'tie up loose ends.'"

"That b*tch is scared of me. You won't vote me off, right?"

Peter shook his head and proposed,

"I say you, me, Mike, Jenn, and Pearl all vote Ricky. That makes 5. We got him. Checkmate."

"Get rid of his lying ass," agreed Alicia.

"If he'd backstab you, I know he'll backstab me. He'll backstab anyone; he can't be trusted."

"I trusted him. Now he's gonna get it," vowed Alicia as she started towards camp. Peter caught her,

"You can't say anything. We can't let that sneaky bastard in on anything. Then, when he sees his name he'll feel just how you felt."

"Yeah, you're right. Blindside," agreed Alicia. As the two of them gathered firewood, Peter felt accomplished. He believed Alicia was being genuine in her vow to oust Ricky. If Peter could reduce Jack's alliance another member, Peter would finally have the majority.

Meanwhile Joanne, who was feeling lonely after Eddy's departure, started to think of home. She went in the forest by herself and started collecting nice-looking rocks. Suddenly she turned over a particularly odd looking rock by the trunk of a tree that also stood out. To her surprise she found a small package wrapped in cloth. When she opened it, Joanne realized it was the hidden immunity idol. Joanne was filled with glee. She had inadvertently found the hidden immunity idol! But her sense of loyalty kicked in. She should tell Jack about it. He would know what to do. What would she do with the idol anyway? If she didn't tell Jack, Jack would be mad. He always told them,

"I need to know anything and everything. We need all the information we can get to expel the cancer."'

 _What would happen to me if I kept the idol a secret? Jack is already mad at me for being too close to Eddy. I must listen to Jack. But maybe I could use it for myself._ Joanne wasn't used to thinking this much. It stressed her out.

As Peter and Alicia exited the thick of the forest, they ran into a nervous Joanne. Peter understood Joanne's nerves as he noticed a little lump in her pocket. _The hidden Immunity idol,_ thought Peter immediately. Peter had been so cautious not to go out by himself to avoid suspicion, and was so busy convincing people to vote certain ways and solidifying his alliance that he hadn't had a good opportunity to look for it. _How did Joanne find it?_ Thought Peter, _Her entire brain is made up of about 2 brain cells and Jack has control of 1 and a half!_ _She probably found it by accident!_ But regardless of Joanne's means of finding the idol, she had it. Although Jack was Peter's biggest threat, the fact that Joanne had the hidden immunity idol made her dangerous and as long as the idol was not in Peter's hands, it was his job to expel it.

Meanwhile, Ricky had started to worry. Alicia hadn't talked to him all day and when she looked at him, all he could see was anger. _She must think I was the vote for her._ He didn't know who actually voted for Alicia, but he was pretty sure Alicia would vote for him. Ricky scrambled to save himself. He too noticed the lump in Joanne's pocket and saw an opportunity. He met Peter by tree mail.

"Alicia's vote is coming my way. Now, you can use that to get rid of me or…a few days ago you said you wanted to work with me when you were on the line, now the roles are reversed, does it still hold true?"

"Of course, Ricky. I got your back. Make me an offer I can't refuse."

"Say you don't vote for me…"

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Alicia's vote becomes a throwaway and there's basically 7 votes. You have 4. Jack has 3. You win, right?"

"According to basic math."

"There's one little problem, one of the other 2 has an idol. I saw it, and 4's not enough to split."

"I need at least 5."

"I'm your 5th. You, me, and Mike put down Jack. Pearl and Jenn put down Joanne. Idol flushed, all of us are safe, what could go wrong?"

"A lot of things, Ricky. For one, I don't even know if Alicia is voting for you and 5 out of 8 is not enough to split. How about we put one name down and hope for the best, until the smoke clears."

"I just think it's safer to split. Why not? You don't trust me?"

He was pushing hard. Peter sniffed out a ploy. Ricky would get Peter's 4 votes to split 2 and 2, Alicia's vote would be 1, and Ricky, Jack, and Joanne's 3 votes for Peter would win. But Ricky's demeanor was convincing, and Ricky didn't have any huge attachments to Jack or Joanne. If Peter could, a split vote was much safer because if he picked wrong, and the wrong person got the idol, Peter was toast. For Ricky to figure out the ploy Peter had in mind would be impressive but not outside of possibility. Ricky was convincing, and Peter couldn't discern whether it was his read or paranoia that created the fear of the ploy in mind. Peter's read wasn't impeccable, but his mind for strategy nearly was and any time Peter could verify his read with a test, he would. Knowing how strategic Ricky was, Peter picked his next words carefully.

"I don't know why you want a split vote so much, but if it's because you want a plan that makes you needed—a fifth vote—you don't have to worry. I told you, I want to work with you. You're rational, that's what I want in an ally, I want to go all the way to the final 2 with you. But I can't guarantee we'll get there, but I can guarantee that you're not on the bottom. Look, if we get Jack out tonight, we'll have a numbers cushion to cut the fat from our alliance. Next vote, we're taking out Mike. He's a liability. He's only got one eye. You, you see things in this game the way I do, you're already twice the ally he is. So don't worry about your spot with me, and don't worry about this split."

"Ok, ok that makes me feel better."

Peter wasn't sure of Ricky but offering up Mike did one of two things: solidify Ricky as Peter's ally or provide a way to prove his guilt. Peter picked Mike because he was his most loyal ally, the last of his alliance he would actually sacrifice. Peter talked to Mike.

"We got a guy trying to join are alliance but I'm not sure about him. I'm testing him. I told him that I wanted to take you out to see if he brings it up with you to try to turn you to the other side. If he does, he's a mole."

"You said you wanted to take me out?"

"To give him ammo to use against you. I picked you because I trusted you the most to know I would never do that."

Not 10 minutes later Ricky came up to Mike.

"Peter just told me he wants you out next, vote with us against him."

 _How could I do that to Peter, after he trusted me more than anyone else?_ Thought Mike.

"No."

Ricky left, knowing Mike wouldn't budge. Mike reported it to Peter.

"Red-handed. I knew that sonofoab*tch was guilty. I couldn't have done this without you, Mike. You're a true ally. I knew I could trust you."

"Yeah."

When the Ganando tribe received tree mail, a combined reward and immunity challenge would be held.

The Ganando tribe headed off to their reward/immunity challenge. After 4 straight losses; they were hungry for a win. The challenge was another _Survivor_ classic. Each tribe would have 2 male weight bearers and one female. 2 others from each tribe would distribute the weight. The weight went on in increments of 20 pounds. Once all 3 weight bearers from one tribe are gone, the other tribe wins. Jack decided who served each role and who sat out. Although Jack constantly called Peter "weak in challenges" and "useless," he chose Peter and himself to be the male weight bearers for the Ganando tribe. Peter didn't know if Jack wanted to prove that he was the alpha male by beating Peter by holding more weight. Although Peter wasn't much of an alpha male, he and Jack were the leaders of the opposing alliances, and if Jack held more weight than Peter maybe that would prove Jack was the true leader. At least in Jack's own mind. Or maybe Jack was just being logical because he and Peter were actually the two strongest men of the tribe, despite Peter's small stature. Alicia was the obvious choice to be the female weight bearer, as Jenn and Joanne were both small and skinny, and Pearl was elderly. Ricky and Joanne chose who bore the weight from the other tribe. The Perdiendo tribe's weight bearers were Buck Warren, Henry Kaider, and Amy Chan. The Perdiendo tribe's weight distributors were Pam Lee and Michelle Ne. Jenn, Mike, Pearl, Juan, Matty, Lisa, and Diane all sat out.

Ricky for some reason let Joanne make all decisions concerning who bore the weight from the other tribe. Joanne of course, made terrible decisions. Instead of distributing weight somewhat evenly in the beginning so everyone would tire and then try to knock out the strongest weight bearers, she just gave weight to one person, while everyone else stayed fresh. So after the first 200 pounds, Buck was carrying all 200 for the Perdiendo tribe while Jack and Alicia each held 120 pounds and Peter was carrying 140. Buck lasted an extremely long time, finally dropping out at 380 pounds, setting a new _Survivor_ record. (Unless you count Colby Donaldson and Mike Skupin both holding about 400 pounds of water in _Survivor_ Australia.Buck, Colby, and Mike were able to carry more weight than most, not only because they were strong, but also because they were the lone weight bearers, they just kept getting the weight. They didn't have to stand with the weight for a very long time, like most people who participate in this challenge usually do. Which is why most fit men in this challenge, who might be just as strong as Mike or Colby; drop out at around 180 pounds)

40 pounds later, Peter, Jack, and Alicia each had 140 pounds, while Henry was holding 40 pounds for the Perdiendo tribe. At that point, the Perdiendo tribe left Alicia alone and alternated between giving weight to Peter and Jack. With both of them holding 180 pounds Jack began to struggle. Jack's hands were shaking on the bar, his teeth were clenched, and bullets of sweat were coming out. His whole body screamed to let go, but he couldn't face defeat to Peter. He looked over at Peter, hoping for any signs of weakness. Peter stood steady. Years of wrestling in high school, where much of practice involved squats with weights prepared Peter for this challenge. His quadriceps strength was disproportionate to the rest of his body. Peter had to grit through some pain but he was far from dropping his weight. Finally, Jack let out a scream of pain, desperately trying not to give up. Peter thought, _What a weakling. It's just 180 pounds. You don't need to scream like a girl, drama queen._ But Peter wanted this reward, and Jack was his tribemate. So Peter encouraged,

"You're doing so good Jack, stay strong."

The encouragement coming from Peter pissed Jack off. Through clenched teeth Jack told Peter,

"Shut up, weakling."

This amused Peter, seeing as how he wasn't struggling. Knowing it would irk Jack; Peter pretended not to hear Jack's comment and said,

"Sorry I couldn't hear that over your high-pitched squeals for help. You sure are struggling a lot. Don't worry, if you're too much of a weakling, I could take your weight; it isn't very much. I don't judge, some people are just weaker than others."

It took all of Jack's self-control not to drop his weight and strangle Peter. Jack was chosen to take the next 20 pounds. As soon as it came on, he dropped his weight leaving Peter holding 180 pounds, and Alicia with 140 to defeat Henry holding 120 pounds and Amy holding nothing. With Jack gone, the Perdiendo tribe put all of its weight on Peter, and the Ganando tribe did the same with Henry. When Peter hit 240 pounds, he was struggling. His legs were shaking, and he had a slight tremble in his arms. The pain was overwhelming, but he grit his teeth and saved Alicia another 20 pounds when held 260. Henry was now struggling with 200 pounds. Peter was about to give way but vowed to save Alicia another 20 pounds by dropping out at 280, which was much more than twice his weight. Henry got the 20 pounds for the Perdiendo tribe and Peter got the 20 pounds for the Ganando tribe. As soon as the weight touched Henry's pole putting him at 220 pounds, he dropped out. Peter held the 280 pounds for about 10 seconds, but finally he gave way saving Alicia as much weight as possible. It was Alicia who had held 140 pounds for over 20 minutes and was already struggling versus Amy holding nothing. As soon as the weight came on for Alicia, Alicia dropped out. This gave the Perdiendo tribe the win before weight had touched Amy's pole. The Perdiendo tribe won fishing equipment, a tarp, blankets, pillows, and of course immunity.

When the Ganando tribe returned to camp Jack was much more disgusted with Peter than usual. Jack called Peter to go on a walk with him to the well. At the well, Jack vowed,

"You're a cancer to this team. You're bringing us down. You're causing us to lose. It is my duty to get rid of you."

"Is that what you called me out here for? Don't get your panties in a bunch just cause' I whooped your ass. I was the strongest one for our team. You dropped out first. You're weak in challenges and you're a cancer to this tribe. We need to keep the team strong and we need to trim the fat from the tribe. You gotta go soon, boy," replied Peter.

"This is gonna end one of two ways. Either you go home tonight or me. We're at an even playing field. You have 4 and I have 4. The best player will stay here longer. And it's gonna be me. You're not cut out for this," threatened Jack.

"We'll see who goes home tonight," said Peter portentously. The two leaders exited the forest separately.

Peter had an unnerving thought. _Joanne does have the idol. She doesn't have a brain for herself. What if she gives it to Jack?_ Peter immediately talked to Joanne by the water. He informed her,

"Alicia wants you gone. She got the notion that you and Eddy were trying to vote her off, and you two were a powerful pair. That's why she voted off Eddy. She thinks you voted for her and is pissed off at you. She's rallying everyone to vote for you. But she checked your bag and found the hidden immunity idol. She knows you're close to Jack, so Jack is gonna ask you for the idol. Don't give it to him or you'll go home."

Joanne nodded like a robot. Peter knew Joanne's stupidity would probably make her do the last thing she heard, so he hoped this would convince her not to give up the idol. Almost immediately after Peter left, Jack spoke to Joanne. He knew she had the hidden immunity idol from his daily check of everyone's bags. He asked her,

"Why didn't you tell me about the hidden immunity idol!?"

"I-I I don't know Jack. I kinda, maybe, sorta wanted it for my-"

"You give me the idol. You know I need to know and have everything to expel the cancer!" interrupted Jack.

In a moment of strength Joanne said,

"No. This idol is mine. I'll vote off Peter but I need to make sure I'm safe."

"I'm disappointed in you," replied a shocked Jack.

With that, Joanne broke down in tears. Jack gathered his group and told them,

"We cut the head off the snake tonight. No exceptions. Peter goes home tonight, and tomorrow we celebrate."

Without Joanne's idol, Jack needed to flip someone from Peter's alliance. He went to Jenn. Jack told her,

"You're with the cancer, but you can be forgiven. If you come to our side, you'll be in the majority, and you'll be with the strength. Vote Peter tonight."

He then left before Jenn could respond. Peter noticed Jack talking to her and did some damage control,

"What did he say to you?"

"He told me to vote for you," answered Jenn truthfully.

"He must think you're an idiot. He knows that we have him. Alicia's already on our side. Besides why would you flip from the most important member of one alliance to 5th in another? Remember you and me are going all the way to the end," reassured Peter.

"Yeah, I remember," replied Jenn ambiguously.

The Ganando tribe headed to tribal council for a 3rd straight time. This time Peter tried to listen to the conversations at tribal council. He was afraid if he thought too much, he would just stress himself out. The tribe talked about the merge and how the tribe still hadn't won a challenge. Jeff Probst told the tribe,

"Well there's a reason you guys are losing. This is not a united tribe. There's an obvious rift between Peter and Jack. We could all see it in the challenge."

Jack piped up,

"That will be fixed."

"What does that mean?" asked Jeff.

"The cancer will be expelled."

"By cancer, you mean Peter, Correct?" asked Jeff.

"I'm glad you realize what he is as well," replied Jack.

"Well you call him 'cancer' every tribal council. I don't necessarily think he's a cancer to this tribe. I'm not living with you. But don't you think that maybe, insulting someone on a regular basis might be the reason this tribe is so divided?"

"The reason this tribe is failing is because he is still here. He would've been gone the first time if Rosie didn't quit. I tried to get rid of him last time but people flipped. This time, it ends. He goes home," announced Jack.

"So it's obvious who you're voting for, Jack. Peter, Jack obviously wants you gone, what do you do about that?" asked Jeff.

"You live with it and you focus on your real targets," said Peter to reassure Alicia that the plan against Ricky was still in place.

"Jack isn't a real target?" asked Jeff.

"Jack is a joke." replied Peter.

"With that, let's vote," said Jeff.

The tribe voted one by one. Jeff went to tally the votes. Jeff returned and said,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

Joanne looked to Peter. Peter told her,

"Save yourself."

Joanne felt guilty thinking; _He's trying to save me. But I voted for him. I guess that's the game._ She stood up and handed the idol to Jeff. Peter felt as if a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders. Jeff announced,

"The rules of _Survivor_ state that if someone plays a hidden immunity idol, then any votes cast against that person will not count and the person with the next highest number of votes will be sent home. This _is_ a hidden immunity idol. All votes cast for Joanne will not count."

"I'll read the votes." He reached into the urn, opened the first vote and said,

"First vote-Peter."

Jeff read the next vote,

"Ricky."

"Jack. That's 1 vote Peter, 1 vote Ricky, and 1 vote Jack."

"Jack. 2 votes Jack."

"Peter."

"Peter. That's 3 votes Peter, 2 votes Jack, 1 vote Ricky."

"Jack. We're tied. 3 votes Peter, 3 votes Jack. 1 vote left." Peter wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"3nd person voted off of Survivor Bora-Bora-Jack. That's 4, that's enough, you need to bring me your torch." Jack stood up, and brought Jeff his torch. As he snuffed it Jeff said,

"Jack, your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go." Jack stared at Peter in anger. Peter waved goodbye with a smug grin on his face.

When the voting confessionals were revealed, Peter said as he wrote Jack's name down,

"You thought you had me, but there's this thing about cancer-you can't get rid of it."

 **Vote**

Peter-Jack

Jenn-Jack

Mike-Jack

Pearl-Jack

 **Votes for Jack-4**

Alicia-Ricky

 **Votes for Ricky-1**

Jack-Peter

Ricky-Peter

Joanne-Peter

 **Votes for Peter- 3**

 **Peter's Boring but more Strategic Alternate Ending**

Jack isn't an asshole. The whole challenge drama didn't happen. Jack didn't threaten Peter. Jack is just the leader of the opposing alliance. Peter just sticks with the plan with Alicia to vote off Ricky and Ricky is voted off 5-3, giving Peter the majority. Everything else is the same. The dialogue with Joanne and Alicia stays the same. Joanne still plays the idol. Jack still tries to flip Jenn. The dialogue with Jenn is the same. Less fun but cool because Peter framed Ricky and got him voted off. The only reason Jack goes home in this episode is because it was set up well for drama. Jack's position is switched with Ricky's. So whatever episode Ricky goes home in is the episode Jack goes home in the alternate ending.

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 4

 **X-eliminated**

 **Contestants:**

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

 **Peter's Alliance:**

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon Henry Kaider

Pearl Harper Buck Warren

 **Other Alliance:**

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee

Alicia Brown Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez Diane Baxter

Jon Kelly **X**

As the Ganando tribe headed back to camp, Peter was relieved, elated, and proud. Despite an early 6-4 deficit, he had paved the way for his four person alliance to gain the majority by being directly responsible for the consecutive eliminations of 3 members from his rival alliance: Rosie Hart, Eddy Pablo, and most recently the alliance's leader and Peter's rival: Jack Reynolds. Now he was finally in control as the leader of the tribe's majority alliance. In addition, Peter thought, _Not only do I have the majority, my opposition is completely divided. And I caused the division! I convinced Joanne that Alicia tried to get her out last tribal so she hates Alicia. Joanne's too stupid to even realize I lied to her. Alicia hates Ricky because she still thinks Ricky voted for her 2 tribal councils ago. She still can't figure out I was the one who voted for her! And Ricky hates Alicia because I convinced Alicia to vote for Ricky! I'm too damn good._

Now that Peter had the majority, Ricky, Alicia, and Joanne were sitting ducks and Peter planned to pick them off one-by-one starting with Ricky. Ricky was Peter's biggest strategic threat. Ricky was calm and calculated. He thought out all situations and each one's outcome. Peter decided to target Ricky first. The only thing that worried Peter was Pearl. She had been getting close to Ricky because of their similar age. It might be difficult to ask her to vote him off. Pearl had also been getting very close to Mike. This was a minor worry because as of now, Mike and Pearl were in his alliance. But it might prove difficult to turn them against each other down the road. Lastly, Pearl and Jenn hadn't been getting along. Peter needed Jenn and Pearl to be loyal to each other because Pearl and Jenn were in one of his final 3 alliances. If they turned on each other, Peter's plans would be altered. Jenn was young, lippy, and hated being told what to do. Despite Peter assuming the leadership position in the tribe, Pearl incessantly ordered people around to do different jobs.

 **Jenn and Pearl Fight**

Pearl and Jenn's irritation for each other finally climaxed when Pearl ordered Jenn to go get water. Jenn finally snapped,

"Who died and made you queen?"

"Excuse me, young lady," replied Pearl.

"Just because you're the oldest and ugliest person here doesn't mean you can tell everybody what to do!" insulted Jenn.

Peter shook his head in disgust. That crossed the line. Pearl was an old-fashioned _Survivor_ player. Pearl was smart and willing to use several alliances to her benefit but she also had a sense of the most deserving going to the end. If someone really got on her nerves and she thought they were undeserving, Pearl would stop at _nothing_ to vote them out, regardless of how it would affect her game in the future, and that comment might have just convinced Pearl to vote for Jenn.

"I tell you to do one thing, just to help out. But I guess it is so hard for Jenn to do anything that doesn't directly help Jenn. You an inconsiderate, bratty, and self-centered child," rebutted Pearl as she walked off.

 **Damage Control and The New Idol**

Peter was worried about the conflict between Pearl and Jenn, but he was confident they would still vote with the alliance. Just in case, he tried to do some damage control with Jenn.

"I know Pearl can be a bit bossy but she means well. She just wants chores done and she isn't afraid to tell people what to do," explained Peter.

Jenn responded well to Peter's explanation.

"Yeah, I guess so. But she can be really annoying. She called me a brat."

"To be fair, you called her, 'old and ugly,'" countered Peter jokingly.

"That is true."

Since Peter had gained the majority, he was more comfortable with his position in his tribe. He had just flushed the hidden immunity idol from Joanne last tribal council, so when he talked to Pearl during their walk in the forest, they searched for the idol. While they were digging near the trunks of trees that stood out, Peter explained,

"Jenn is young. She doesn't really watch what comes out of her mouth. I don't think she really meant what she said about you."

Pearl didn't respond very well to Peter's mediations.

"She's selfish, mean, and doesn't like to work. I want nothing to do with her."

 _Crap,_ thought Peter, _That doesn't sound good._ Just then, Pearl exclaimed,

"Oh My Word!" as she did a victory dance while holding the wrapped hidden immunity idol in the air. Peter celebrated with her, but secretly he thought, _Damn it! That idol should have been mine. I knew I should have gone looking by myself._ But more optimistically Peter thought, _I guess Pearl having the idol isn't the worst thing in the world. At least she's in my alliance._

 **Gross Food Reward**

Pearl and Peter had to return to camp quickly as the Ganando tribe would have to compete in a reward challenge. The reward challenge was a gross food eating contest. Each tribe member would have to eat a nutritious but vile tasting food. For each food item a tribemember eats, their tribe would earn 1 point. Since the Ganando tribe was down 2 members, 2 person would have to eat twice. The reward was for a native to visit the winning tribe's camp and to teach the tribe how to best live off the land. The Ganando tribe was still winless, they did not care what the reward was for; they just wanted to win. It looked as if they had a chance when the tribes were tied with 5 points each. Then came Peter's turn. Peter was a very picky eater. At home, it bothered him when his meat touched his bread. But this challenge was a test of mind over matter, so when he saw the beetle larva on his dish; he just scooped them up, popped them in his mouth, and tried to swallow as soon as possible. So the tribes were tied at 6 points each. Jenn faced off against Michelle from the other tribe. When their dish was revealed to be a tarantula, Jenn refused to even try. Michelle choked down the tarantula giving the Perdiendo tribe a 1 point lead. Their lead would hold giving the Perdiendo tribe their 6th straight win. Once again Pam Lee was sent to observe the other tribe.

 **Swapping Loyalties**

After their 6th consecutive loss, Peter and the rest of the Ganando tribe were demoralized. But Peter had to keep his mind on the game, so he told Mike and Jenn to vote for Ricky as the alliance's biggest threat. But when Peter informed Pearl of the plan to vote off Ricky, she flat-out refused.

"Why not?" asked a confused Peter.

"Ricky deserves to be here. I will not vote him out," responded Pearl firmly.

Peter had underestimated how close Pearl had become to Ricky. There was more than just a friendship there. There was an alliance. _I'll have to deal with Ricky and Pearl's relationship later. For now I'll just let Pearl have her way to not make waves,_ thought Peter.

"Okay, we'll just vote for Alicia or Joanne. Whoever you want," suggested Peter.

"No, I'm not going to vote for any of them. We vote for Jenn," ordered Pearl.

This worried Peter. Peter understood why Pearl wouldn't want to get rid of Ricky; they were friends. But the fact that Pearl shot down any possibility of voting for _any_ of the members of the rival alliance told Peter one thing. Ricky had flipped Pearl into the other alliance. They had regained their numbers advantage.

"How? Mike will never vote for Jenn. He's too loyal to our alliance," prodded Peter, hoping for Pearl to confirm his suspicions that she was with the other alliance.

"I know. Don't worry. I'm close to people on the other side. They'll listen to me," assured Pearl.

 _Dead giveaway,_ thought Peter, _Pearl is on the other side._

"Okay, cool. So Jenn's next?" asked Peter.

"Jenn's next," confirmed Pearl.

Peter had no intention of voting for Jenn. Not only was Jenn in his alliance; which was once again a minority, and now consisted of only himself, Jenn, and Mike. Jenn was his closest ally; she would do whatever he said. Peter needed to take out members of the rival alliance which now consisted of: Pearl, Ricky, Alicia, and Joanne. Pearl wanting to vote off Jenn was not a rash decision made by their recent altercation. Peter knew Pearl wasn't dumb enough risk her alliance's majority because of a small conflict. Pearl was confident she had numbers in the other alliance. What was interesting was Pearl had completely flipped to the other side, she told Peter himself that she would vote for none of its members. Yet Pearl wanted to vote off Jenn, and Peter knew she was being genuine by the way she told him. Peter knew the rival alliance would want to target Peter as the leader, but Pearl had enough loyalty to him that she would vote for Jenn instead of Peter. She would be loyal enough to vote out Jenn instead of Peter but if she were given a choice between voting out Peter or a member of her new alliance with Ricky, Alicia, and Joanne, Peter knew he'd be gone.

 **Eavesdropping: Ricky & Pearl**

As Peter was trying to figure out the best plan of action for his new situation, he saw Pearl walk off with Ricky in the direction of the well. Peter knew they would discuss who to vote for. But Peter was confident Ricky would not be able to convince Pearl to vote for Peter. What worried Peter was the fact that Pearl had the idol. _Ricky might try to convince Pearl to give him the idol or convince her to flush it. That's what I would do._ Peter followed them, but in order to stay undetected, he stayed off the trail they took. Instead, he went through the thick of the jungle to get to the well. Peter arrived there before them, so he waited. Whence they came, he listened closely.

"So you're with us, right?" asked Ricky.

"Totally. 100%," responded Pearl.

 _Sh*t._ Thought Peter, _Just as I expected; she's with them._

"Me, you, Alicia, and Joanne till the end."

"You, me, Alicia and Joanne," repeated Pearl.

"We have the power. Once we get there it's you and me final 2," assured Ricky.

"Me and you final 2. I got something to show you," said Pearl as she pulled out the Hidden immunity idol.

"Oh my God. When did you get it?" asked Ricky.

"I found it this morning with Peter."

"Peter knows you have it?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"He's crafty. He might think you're too much of a threat now that you have an idol, and he might try to vote you out, especially if he thinks you've come over to our side," pointed out Ricky.

"Well I told him that I wouldn't vote for you, Alicia, or Joanne."

"Then he knows. You saw how Peter freaked out when Joanne found the idol. He's gonna be gunning for you because he thinks you won't play it. Alicia and Joanne are always up in the air. I doubt it but if he can get Alicia and Joanne to vote you out with him and Jenn- you're gone. It might be a good idea to play it just to be safe."

 _I knew it!_ Thought Peter, _He's trying to flush it._

"I doubt it. But I'll definitely bring it. I'll probably play it just to be safe. This is a big vote. But I'll talk to Alicia and Joanne."

"Alright. So we vote Peter next tribal," said Ricky.

"No, we vote Jenn."

"Why? Peter is the leader of the other alliance. He's the craftiest and he's our biggest threat. Jenn is just a pawn."

"Peter deserves to be here more than Jenn. Jenn should go first," said Pearl.

"We're probably going to have to get rid of them all eventually. What does it matter who goes first?"

"It matters because Jenn doesn't deserve to be here. I like Peter. I'll only vote him out if I have to."

"When would you 'have to?' Will you vote us out before him?" asked Ricky accusingly.

"I'll only vote for Peter if it's between him and one of us (Ricky, Alicia, or Joanne). But as long as we can vote out Jenn instead of Peter, I'll do anything to make sure Jenn goes home and Peter stays." explained Pearl.

"Okay, then Jenn's next," said Ricky reluctantly.

 _He's lying. I know he is. He's voting for me,_ thought Peter.

"I'll make sure Alicia and Joanne are on board. I told Peter too," said Pearl.

"What about Mike?" asked Ricky.

"I don't want to tell Mike. He's too close to Jenn. When he gives his word, he means it. He told me, Peter, and Jenn that he'd never vote for any of us until the final 4. So, there's no sense in asking him. He and Jenn will probably vote for you."

"Okay, that's fine. You wanna talk to Alicia and Joanne? We have to regroup the alliance. There's been a lot of distrust between us ever since Alicia got that mystery vote."

"Yeah, I'll have them come over here," said Pearl.

 **Summary of Information: Ricky & Pearl**

Hearing that Pearl would be talking with Alicia and Joanne in the same spot, Peter stayed put. While he was waiting, Peter sorted out the information he drew as best he could. He made it like a checklist of facts to keep things simple.

 _-Pearl is definitely voting for Jenn._

 _-Ricky is probably voting for me._

 _-Mike is voting for Ricky._

 _-Pearl is probably playing the idol._

 _-Pearl is in the other alliance._

 _-Pearl will vote for me over Ricky, Alicia, or Joanne._

 _-The opposing alliance is loose but together._

 **Eaves Dropping: Alicia, Joanne, and Pearl**

Then he heard Alicia, Joanne, and Pearl walk up.

"We're regrouping the alliance. It's gonna be my, you two, and Ricky," announced Pearl.

"I don't want to be aligned with Ricky or her (referring to Joanne). They both tried to get me voted off," said Alicia.

"How?"

"Ricky was the one who voted for me. And last tribal he tried to get me out again! Joanne and Eddy were trying to vote me out the first tribal."

"Well, Ricky didn't vote for you last tribal council. In fact, how do you even know that Ricky voted for you the first time?" asked Pearl.

"Well, Peter told me."

"You didn't think that maybe Peter voted for you and blamed it on Ricky just so you and Ricky would hate each other. "

"Why would Peter do that?"

"Well, you voting for Ricky instead of Peter last tribal council let Peter vote out Jack and take the majority," pointed out Pearl.

 _Sh*t! She just exposed me. If she's really trying to save me and get rid of Jenn, she's doing a Sh*tty-ass job,_ thought Peter. He contemplated stepping in but he knew the damage was done.

"Holy Sh*t!" realized Alicia.

"Wasn't it also Peter who told you that Eddy and Joanne were coming after you?"

"That shady, lying, sonofab*tch!"

Joanne's mind finally started working and she realized,

"Alicia was never coming after me last tribal, Peter just wanted me to play the idol!"

"Exactly. So we can all trust each other. Me, Ricky, and you two till' the end. And us three, final 3" concluded Pearl.

"Deal, and we take out that lying weasel first," vowed Alicia.

"No, we vote out Jenn," countered Pearl.

"Why? Jenn's too stupid to be a liar," said Joanne ironically.

"She doesn't deserve to be here."

Noticing that Pearl was determined to vote for Jenn, Alicia said,

"Okay, Jenn's first then." And Pearl walked off.

 _She's lying. Alicia plays too emotionally to not vote for me after all the lies she just found out I told her. And Joanne's too stupid to make up her own mind so she'll just do whatever Alicia does,_ thought Peter. As expected, Alicia told Joanne,

"We can trust Ricky now. You, me, and Ricky all vote Peter. Let's take out that weasel."

Without a mind for herself, Joanne tried to just borrow Alicia's. So she agreed to whatever Alicia said,

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Let's go talk to Ricky then."

 **Summary of Information: Alicia, Joanne, and Pearl**

Once they left, Peter tried to sum up the information.

 _-Pearl is still definitely voting for Jenn because Jenn is undeserving._

 _-Ricky, Joanne, and Alicia are definitely voting for me because they found out about my lies._

 _-Mike is still voting for Ricky because he's loyal to our alliance._

 _-Pearl is still probably playing the idol because Ricky told her that Alicia and Joanne are flaky._

 _-Pearl is in the other alliance because she said so._

 _-Pearl will vote for me over Ricky, Alicia, or Joanne because she said so._

 _-Pearl has brought together Ricky, Alicia, and Joanne. She's the glue. She has a Final 2 deal with Ricky and a Finial 3 deal with Alicia and Joanne._

 _-Pearl will try to save me only if it means voting out Jenn._

 **Flipping Alliances**

As Peter walked back to camp, he saw Alicia, Ricky, and Joanne with Mike. He knew exactly what was going on. _With Pearl insisting on voting for Jenn, they need someone else to flip to vote me off._ Peter immediately stepped in, not because he was worried that Mike would turn on him. Mike was as loyal as people come, but because he wanted the trio to talk to Jenn. He awkwardly sat in and said,

"What's up guys?"

An awkward silence ensued until Ricky spoke up and said,

"Would you mind giving us a moment with Mike?"

"Anything you say to him, you can say in front of me," said Peter, not budging. With that, the trio walked off and called Jenn to go have a talk with them. Peter was confident in Jenn's loyalty and was delighted to see Pearl confused at why they would be talking to Jenn.

"What were they talking to you about?" asked Peter.

"They hadn't really gotten started. They started with, 'big moves are appreciated in this game. Sometimes you have to flip your loyalties.' What were they talking about?" asked Mike.

"They're trying to get you to vote me out. But don't worry about it, just vote for Ricky," said Peter.

Peter liked Mike. Mike wasn't a real fan of _Survivor_ , but he wanted to be on for the adventure. Mike was a really great ally. He was a former marine, which was probably why he was so loyal and tough. Mike didn't believe in lying or cheating in the game, so you could always count on him telling the truth. Because of his honesty; he wasn't a strategic threat. Mike would be a physical threat, but he lost an eye when he served Iraq from shrapnel, so his depth perception cost him in challenges. Mike also knew close to nothing about the game, so he could be convinced of things quite easily. When Peter told Mike to vote for a person, Mike asked no questions. He needed no guarantee that a plan was going to work, nor a reason for voting for that person. That kind of unquestioning, blind loyalty was comforting to a true strategist like Peter.

 **No Easy Way Out**

While Ricky, Alicia, and Joanne went to work on Jenn, Peter thought out his options. It was amazing how Peter had put so much work into giving his alliance a majority, and within a day Peter was back on the chopping block. He thought out all scenarios and realized that no matter who Peter voted for; ultimately Peter would be the one voted out at the next tribal council. (For a complete list of all scenarios and outcomes, scroll to the bottom)This was the biggest obstacle Peter had faced thus far. Peter had been targeted for elimination at every tribal council, but each time there was a person Peter could flip onto his side. But this time, Peter could not convince Alicia, Ricky, or Joanne not to vote for him. They wouldn't believe a word he'd say after Pearl revealed his web of lies. In other words, Peter was screwed.

Peter's only hope was the hidden immunity idol. There were 2 in existence, 1 in each camp. Peter remembered Pam Lee: the observer from the other tribe. Peter could try to convince her to give him their tribe's idol. But that would require a lot of assumptions. First, their tribe would have had to have actually found the idol. Second, Pam would have to be in possession of the idol to give it to him. Thirdly, Pam would have to be willing to give Peter the idol. Even if someone from the Perdiendo tribe found the idol and Peter was persuasive enough to get them to give it up, there would be no logical reason for them to bring it to the other tribe. So Peter abandoned that plan. There was only one other idol Peter knew of. It belonged to Pearl. Peter realized the only way he could survive this tribal council was if he got his 3 votes negated. If he could get that to happen then not only would he survive the tribal council, he could send anyone home. Peter's two biggest threats were Ricky for being the best strategist, and Pearl for having the most interpersonal relationships and being the glue of the other alliance. He decided voting out Pearl would be more detrimental to the other alliance. Peter also decided that the best time for Peter to present his case would be when Jeff asks for the hidden immunity idol at tribal council, so Ricky would have no time to talk to Pearl.

 **Getting Another Tribe's Idol**

Peter knew if he were to make it through the next tribal council, his alliance and Ricky's alliance would have 3 members each. To get through that tie, Peter would need _another_ hidden immunity idol. So he talked to Pam.

"Okay, this could be a game-changing move. So, most of the time, a traditional merge is when there are 10 players left in the game. Right now, your tribe has the numbers advantage. But even if you win enough challenges to reduce us down to 5 members, if we win the remaining immunities then we merge at a 5-5 tribal tie. In which case, someone would have to flip to the other team to avoid a purple rock. I would love to be that person. But you see, Pearl and I are on the outs. It's the 5 of them against us 2. And if we go to 2 more tribal councils, we're gone. I realize, she'll probably go first because of her age. After that, if you give me your tribe's hidden immunity idol, I will be saved and in return; I'll flip to your side at the merge."

"What if we just keep winning?" asked Pam.

"In that case, you're still okay. But if you choose to not take this deal, you're taking a risk. Don't you want to secure your numbers at the merge?" threatened Peter. Peter felt like Pam was considering the crazy move.

"Okay, I'll be the observer next time. I'll give you the idol then," said Pam. Peter was astonished that the move actually worked. Unbeknownst to Peter, Pam's puzzle solving abilities allowed her to easily decipher the clues to the hidden immunity idol and she had been in possession of it since day 6. But Pam did not bring the idol with her. Unfortunately, some of Pam's tribemates saw her find the idol, which raised suspicion of Pam. In fact, had the Perdiendo tribe visited tribal council, she agreed to be the person to go. She hoped that giving away the idol would not only erase the target on her back but buy her good will, as the act was for the tribe to have a majority at the merge (Pam Lee was not a true fan of _Survivor,_ so she didn't know that a traditional merge was now at 12 members).

 **Run for Your Life!**

Peter was motivated for the next immunity challenge. He knew if the Ganando tribe won, he wouldn't have to face this headache of a tribal council. But this challenge was a shoe-in for the Perdiendo tribe. Each person would be carrying 20 pounds on their back and each tribe would be clipped together. In an oval shaped course in shallow water, the tribes would chase each other starting from opposite sides. If someone wanted to drop out, they would have to unclip and give up their weight to someone else from their tribe. The first tribe to catch the other and take down one of its members won immunity. Since the Perdiendo tribe had 2 extra members, Pam Lee and Diane sat out. Almost immediately Pearl dropped out for the Ganando tribe, as well as Lisa Loelle from the Perdiendo tribe. Peter and Buck took their weight respectively. Jenn and Joanne gave up after about 20 minutes for the Ganando tribe. Peter and Mike took their weight. Soon after, Amy Chan gave her weight to Buck. The Perdiendo tribe was gaining thanks to Alicia moving slowly but refusing to give up. Peter demanded she give up her weight to him. Peter who was driven by the fear of being voted out was now holding 80 pounds. Mike was holding 40 and Ricky was still holding his 20. Peter led his tribe in sprints down the shallow stretches. The Ganando tribe was able to hold on for Michelle and Juan to give up. Buck still took the weight, now holding 100 pounds. _He's got retard strength,_ thought Peter. Now the Perdiendo tribe was really on the heels of the Ganados. Despite the extra weight, Buck didn't seem to slow his pace. Buck, Henry, and Matty could taste the victory. Finally Ricky dropped out, giving his weight to Mike. The Perdiendo tribe had caught the Ganando tribe but they still had to take down one of its members. Buck and Matty tackled Mike and Henry tried to take down Peter. Peter was able to take down Henry but with Buck and Matty double-teaming Mike, Mike fell and the Perdiendo tribe won its 7th consecutive challenge sending the Ganando tribe to Tribal Council.

 **Tribal Council Looming**

With Peter's plan set to initiate at tribal council, the hours before that were filled with anxiety and anticipation. He didn't have much to do. He made sure Mike was still voting for Ricky. The climax was when he told Jenn to vote for Pearl.

"You and I are voting Pearl tonight," informed Peter.

"Why? Cause' she's being a b*tch?"

"No. She flipped to the other side."

"Holy Crap. How do you know?"

"Eavesdropping is very informative."

"Is Mike on board?"

"We're leaving Mike out of the loop this time. He's too close to Pearl."

"How are we gonna vote out pearl with just 2 votes?"

"That's the genius part of the plan. We're gonna have some fun with the idol."

"You have the hidden immunity idol?"

"No, that's the genius part. I'm gonna make up some lies at tribal council. Don't say a word while I tell my story, or we're screwed."

"Gotcha."

As the Ganando tribe headed off to tribal council for the 4th straight time, Peter noticed the lump in Pearl's pocket. _Perfect,_ thought Peter. Once everyone lit their torches and found their seats, Jeff welcomed them,

"Good to see you guys again," he said jokingly. _Nobody likes Tribal Council. Not even Jeff,_ thought Peter.

"Thanks for pointing out our perennial suckiness," responded Peter.

"Well it's hard not to, when you lose 7 straight challenges. Starting to regret voting out Eddy and Jack? Two fit men," asked Jeff.

"Not in the least."

"Why not?"

"Keeping Jack would mean eliminating me and Eddy was no physical powerhouse. Immediate Self-Preservation outweighs the tribe's future challenge success," responded Peter firmly. He had spent much time thinking about this.

"Fair enough. You have received votes each tribal council. Why do you think that is?"

"I think I was targeted in the beginning for screwing up the first challenge. Once the alliance was made for the sole purpose of ousting me, it was hard to reverse that first impression."

"So this tribe was divided."

"Very much so."

"Do you think that is the reason for your continual losses?"

"That and lack of physical strength."

"Peter brings up an interesting point. There are 2 reasons this tribe is failing: Lack of strong members and the division created by opposing alliances. With 2 very different problems, what do you base your vote on, Pearl?" asked Jeff followed by the famous Jeff stare to get you to talk.

"I base my vote on who is the least deserving to be here," said Pearl finally.

"How do you determine who 'deserves' to be here?"

"How they act at camp, their attitude, how hard they work, and how much they want to be here."

"What about you, Mike? What are you basing your vote on?"

"Loyalty to my alliance," mumbled Mike with his traditional 1-3 word answers.

"Okay how about you, Ricky? Three ways to vote: alliance lines, keeping the tribe strong, and ho deserves to be here."

"I have and will always vote for my biggest threat."

"With that it's time to vote. Peter, you're up."

As Peter wrote Pearl's name down, he said,

"Pearl, if you go home tonight, then you did it to yourself. You betrayed me; it's only fair that I do the same."

Peter always voted in block letters so he wouldn't reveal his handwriting. Once everyone was done, Jeff said,

"I'll go tally the votes."

Jeff was gone for a very long time. Peter knew he was meeting with the producers to figure out how to read the votes. Upon return he announced,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

Pearl stood up. _The moment of truth._

"Pearl wait!" cried Peter.

"What?"

"Okay, listen to me. You have to give me the idol."

"Why? You're not going home."

"Yes I am."

"Ricky, Alicia, and Joanne convinced Jenn to join their alliance and vote with them against me."

Pearl remembered them talking to Jenn. It started to click.

"Why? Why vote for you?"

"They found out about me voting for Alicia." (In the simplified list of facts: this is them finding out about Peter's web of Lies)

Pearl felt stupid. She revealed all of Peter's lies to bring the alliance back together. She was too stupid to realize they would want to vote off Peter because of it.

"They want to vote you and me out Pearl. But since you have the idol, the 4 of them are gonna vote me out, flush your idol, and then vote you out next tribal council."

"Why me?" asked Pearl.

"They found out about your Final 2 deal with Ricky and your other Final 3 deal with Joanne and Alicia."

It all started to click in Pearls head _. That's why they were all so hesitant to vote for Peter. That's why they were talking with Jenn. That's why they weren't talking with me. That's why Ricky wanted me to play the idol,_ thought Pearl.

"How-How do you know all this?" asked Pearl, still putting the pieces together.

"They tried to talk to Mike first, but Mike's loyal. He told me everything," explained Peter.

Mike was confused but it was not his style to interject.

 _And that's what they were talking about with Mike,_ thought Pearl

" **The real alliance is Ricky, Alicia, Joanne, and Jenn. You, me, and Mike are on the outs.** If you let them vote me out tonight, Jenn stays and you and Mike are on your own. But if you give me the idol, the 4 votes against me are gone. Since you and I voted for Jenn; Jenn goes home," explained Peter. He was appealing to Pearl's basis of who deserves. Jenn is undeserving. Pearl would do anything to make sure Jenn was gone.

 _Peter deserves to be here. Jenn doesn't. If I give Peter the idol Jenn goes home. That will make sure the good people stay in the end. It's also the smart decision. If Peter goes home, I'm outnumbered 4-2. If Jenn goes home, Me, Peter, and Mike will all still be here. That makes a 3-3 tie,_ thought Pearl. Pearl handed Peter the idol.

Peter handed over the idol to Jeff. As Peter walked back he looked at Ricky and said,

"There's always a way out."

Jeff proceeded to announce,

"The rules of _Survivor_ state that if someone plays a hidden immunity idol, then any votes cast against that person will not count and the person with the next highest number of votes will be sent home. This _is_ a hidden immunity idol. All votes cast for Peter will not count."

"I'll read the votes." He reached into the urn, opened the first vote and said,

"First vote-Peter, does not count."

"Peter, does not count."

"Peter, that's 3 votes Peter, none of them count. Still no votes for anybody."

"Pearl. 1 vote Pearl." Pearl's jaw dropped. She started to realize what she had done.

"Ricky."

"Jenn. We're tied. 1 vote Pearl, 1 vote Ricky, 1 vote Jenn, 1 vote left."

"4th person voted out of Survivor Bora-bora- Pearl. That's 2, tonight, that's enough."

As Pearl stood up she broke down.

"You liar! You lying weasel! You are a cancer to this tribe! You are undeserving! I should have voted for you!" Pearl's voice became unintelligible. Peter did not respond. As she brought Jeff her torch, he said,

"Pearl, Your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

She walked off.

 **Vote:**

Alicia-Peter

Ricky-Peter

Joanne-Peter

 **3 votes Peter-voided by idol**

Peter-Pearl

Jenn-Pearl

 **2 votes Pearl**

Mike-Ricky

 **1 vote Ricky**

Pearl-Jenn

 **1 vote Jenn**

 **List of Outcomes of all Scenarios**

 **Voting for Ricky:**

 _Peter-Ricky_

 _Mike-Ricky_

 _Jenn-Ricky_

 _ **3 votes Ricky**_

 _Alicia-Peter_

 _Ricky-Peter_

 _Joanne-Peter_

 _ **3 votes Peter**_

 _Pearl-Jenn_

 _ **1 vote Jenn**_

 _This would create a 3-3 tie between me and Ricky. Pearl would be the swing vote. In the Revote, Pearl would vote against me over Ricky. So in that scenario I'm screwed._

 **Voting for Alicia:**

 _Peter-Alicia_

 _Mike-Alicia_

 _Jenn-Alicia_

 _ **3 votes Alicia**_

 _Alicia-Peter_

 _Ricky-Peter_

 _Joanne-Peter_

 _ **3 votes Peter**_

 _Pearl-Jenn_

 _ **1 vote Jenn**_

 _Same result. Initial 3-3 tie. Pearl sends me home in the revote._

 **Voting for Joanne:**

 _Peter-Joanne_

 _Mike-Joanne_

 _Jenn-Joanne_

 _ **3 votes Joanne**_

 _Alicia-Peter_

 _Ricky-Peter_

 _Joanne-Peter_

 _ **3 votes Peter**_

 _Pearl-Jenn_

 _ **1 vote Jenn**_

 _Same result. Initial 3-3 tie. Pearl sends me home in the revote_

 **Voting for Pearl:**

 _Peter-Pearl_

 _Jenn-Pearl_

 _ **2 votes Pearl**_

 __ _Mike-Ricky: Mike would never vote out Pearl_

 _ **1 vote Ricky**_

 __ _Alicia-Peter_

 _Ricky-Peter_

 _Joanne-Peter_

 _ **3 votes Peter**_

 __ _Pearl-Jenn_

 _ **1 vote Jenn**_

 _Essentially the same result. I'm screwed._

 **Voting for Jenn:**

 _Peter-Jenn_

 _Pearl-Jenn_

 _ **2 votes Jenn**_

 _Jenn-Ricky_

 _Mike-Ricky: Mike would never vote out Jenn_

 _2_ _ **votes Ricky**_

 __ _Alicia-Peter_

 _Ricky-Peter_

 _Joanne-Peter_

 _ **3 votes Peter**_

 _Essentially the same result. I'm screwed._

 **Voting for Mike:**

 _Peter-Mike_

 _Jenn-Mike_

 _ **2 votes Mike**_

 _Mike-Ricky_

 _ **1 vote Ricky**_

 __ _Alicia-Peter_

 _Ricky-Peter_

 _Joanne-Peter_

 _ **3 votes Peter**_

 __ _Pearl-Jenn_

 _ **1 vote Jenn**_

 _Essentially the same result. I'm screwed._

 **Can't vote for myself!**

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 5

 **X-eliminated**

 **Contestants:**

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

 **Peter's Alliance:**

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon Henry Kaider

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren

 **Other Alliance:**

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee

Alicia Brown Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez Diane Baxter

Jon Kelly **X**

As Peter walked back from tribal council, he breathed a huge sigh of relief. _This was my toughest tribal council yet._ Thought Peter, _thank god she's not on the jury._ But the feeling of relief was short-lived. Despite Peter's hard-work at tribal council, his alliance was not yet in power. His and Ricky's alliances were tied at 3 members each. The immunity idol meant everything, but it was too dark to look for it. _I'll look for it at first light,_ decided Peter. But Peter wasn't able to stay up and for the first time in his entire stay there, he slept in. While Peter slept, Ricky searched for the hidden immunity idol. With hours to look privately for the idol, he was able to methodically comb through all the landmarks in the forest and located the idol.

When Peter woke up he felt great. _I haven't slept that well in weeks!_ thought Peter. But then he remembered _the hidden immunity idol._ He bolted out of bed and into the forest, but it was too late. He saw Ricky walking giddily back to camp from the forest with a bulge in his pocket. That was it. Unless he got the hidden immunity idol from the other camp Peter's best bet was a purple rock tie breaker. Peter tried to forget about it as the tribe prepared for the upcoming reward challenge.

When the Ganando tribe arrived at the reward challenge, Peter was excited hoping to end the Ganando tribe's losing streak and hopefully have some time to talk to Pam about the idol. The reward was nice too:an outdoor shower built at their camp, with enough freshwater to last until day 39, as well as plenty of shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes. But to win it they would have to complete a complicated task. All 6 members from each tribe would be trapped in a wooden cage. To escape they would have to retrieve keys outside of the cage by making wooden poles using sticks and twine found inside the cage. Once they retrieved all five keys, they would use one to unlock them from the cage. One member from each tribe would then swim out to bring in a very heavy chest. They would then use a different one of their five keys to unlock the chest to reveal a disassembled flag. They would then have to assemble the flag and put it in the flag stand outside the cage. The first tribe to raise the flag wins the reward.

The Ganando tribe started off well by building a long, sturdy pole unlike the Perdiendo tribe's series of weak, hastily made ones. Peter took their pole, and by the time he retrieved all five keys, the Perdiendo tribe had only retrieved one. Peter then swam out and retrieved the chest. He had it in shore before the Buck from the Perdiendo tribe was halfway back with their chest. Peter could taste victory. The Ganando tribe let Joanne be in charge of the keys. She tried each one over ten times, claiming that none of them worked. By that time Buck had returned with the chest and Pam had just found the key to the chest. Upon seeing this and hearing Jeff Probst tell his tribe to "pick it up!" Peter confiscated the keys from Joanne and quickly found the right key and unlocked the chest. Joanne had been turning each key to the wrong side. Peter scrambled to put the flag together. He had it in one piece fairly quickly and Mike took the flag to put it in the stand. They were seconds in front of the Perdiendo tribe, but due to Mike's farsightedness, he fumbled sticking the flag in the stand allowing the Perdiendo tribe to put their flag in a mere second in front of Mike. Things got worse for Peter when Diane was chosen as the observer instead of Pam.

Although Diane couldn't offer Peter any help strategically, she was a joy to be around. She was positive and chirpy. The entire Ganando tribe spent the day chit-chatting with her as they worked. She helped around at camp and talked about how much better she liked it at the Ganando tribe than the Perdiendo tribe. Peter identified her as a social threat but he enjoyed her company.

Peter tried to stay focused on his goal. With no hidden immunity idols to save him and with Ricky's alliance pretty tight, Peter's best bet was to win the immunity challenge.

The challenge was a fun one. 1 person from each tribe would have to break 5 tiles using a slingshot which would release sand into a bucket. When the bucket was full, the other side would raise and hit a target. When the target was broken a bag of puzzle pieces would drop. Two other tribe members would have to use a grappling hook to retrieve the five bags. The remaining 3 tribe members would have to use the pieces to solve a puzzle. The first tribe to solve the puzzle would win immunity.

Peter was ready to end the Ganando tribe's losing streak. But he was surprised when Jeff told the tribes of a twist.

"Before the immunity challenge I'd like to offer a mutiny. Maybe you don't like your position in your tribe but you might be in a better spot on the other tribe. If anyone would like to step off their mat and join the other tribe you have 10 seconds to do so."

Jeff counted down. _No one's going to mutiny,_ thought Peter. But with 3 seconds left Diane Baxter stepped off her mat. She was the only one and she joined the Ganando tribe.

"Okay, well we have our new tribes. One more thing: The winner of this challenge will receive this sealed bottle to be opened after the challenge. Let's get to it. Because this challenge only requires 6 people, both tribes will be sitting out tribe members."

Peter stepped up to use the slingshot for the Ganando tribe. He would face off against Henry. Mike and Joanne would retrieve the bags with the grappling hook for the Ganandos while Matty Wick and Buck did the same for the Perdiendo tribe. Diane, Ricky, and Alicia would solve the puzzle for the Ganando tribe while Pam Lee, Amy Chan, and Michelle Ne solved the puzzle for the Perdiendo tribe. Jenn, Lisa, and Juan sat out.

Peter gave the Ganando tribe a large lead by hitting all 5 tiles on the first try. By the time the Perdiendo tribe had smashed their tiles, Mike and Joanne had already retrieved 4 of the 5 bags of puzzle pieces. Despite Mike being completely blind in one eye and farsighted in the other he had retrieved all 4 of the bags. Joanne couldn't figure out how to throw the grappling hook far enough because she didn't give the rope any slack. But Mike had a bit of trouble on the fifth bag. By the time he hooked it and brought it back, Buck and Matty retrieved a bag on each toss and had 3 bags. Alicia had trouble untying the bags, and by the time the Ganandos had the puzzle pieces on the table; their lead had evaporated. Pam acted as if the position for each puzzle piece was written on the table and solved the puzzle by herself in under a minute giving the Perdiendo tribe their 9th straight win. The Perdiendo tribe opened the bottle. They read it aloud:

 _Although you all are immune, you will still attend tribal council. You must decide who from the other tribe is deserving of immunity as well._

Peter knew the other tribe would be casting an immunity vote.

So the Ganando tribe was heading to tribal council for the fifth straight time. But things had changed since Diane had mutinied. The 2 alliances in the tribe had a swing vote now. Peter wanted to know why she had mutinied in the first place. _The Perdiendo tribe was such a successful tribe; they were undefeated in tribal challenges, they had all the rewards, and they had never had to go to tribal council. Who would ever want to leave that tribe?_ thought Peter. Diane explained that Henry; the leader of the tribe valued strength and honesty. He was on _Survivor_ to make a perfect society of just strong and honest people. Because Diane was weaker in challenges Henry constantly criticized and badgered her along with all of the women. Since the Perdiendo tribe had never visited tribal council, they couldn't get rid of him. With them all trapped together the tensions got so high that Diane wanted to leave. _Successful tribe problems_ , thought Peter. _But_ _Henry does sound like an asshole._

"I also think that people should stay who deserve to stay, but I determine who deserves to be here on what kind of people they are. Who works hard at camp, who is honest, who is loyal, who has a good attitude, not 'who's stronger and who's weaker,'" explained Diane.

"That is so stupid," said Jenn. "I don't know what show you think you're on but this is _Survivor._ It's not about honesty and loyalty and hugs and kisses. This is a game for a million bucks. You don't have to be honest or loyal, you just have get to the end any way you can."

 _Jenn is such an idiot!_ thought Peter. _We need Diane to join our alliance. Making fun of her and calling her stupid is not going to accomplish that._

"Oh, I guess I'm stupid for believing that honesty is a good thing," replied Diane.

"No you're delusional for believing honesty is gonna win you _Survivor,"_ countered Jenn.

Diane walked off as Peter thought, _Why do I have the worst ally in Survivor history?_

Peter needed to eliminate Ricky. Ricky was his biggest strategic threat and he had an idol. He was the only one left on the opposing alliance who was calculated and strategic. To eliminate Ricky he would need Diane's vote. He went to have a talk with Diane.

"Jenn can be a brat sometimes," explained Peter.

"I want her gone. She's rude, she's mean, and she doesn't deserve to be here. I wanna vote for her," exclaimed Diane.

Peter realized what kind of player Diane was. She voted with her heart and valued people who "deserved to be there." Right now her heart was set on voting for Jenn. He had to convince her to join his side, vote for Ricky, and forget about Jenn.

"Look, I want Jenn gone just as much as you do but I can't get rid of her."

"Why not?"

"In the beginning, I was on the outs of this tribe just like you were. I was targeted because I was weak. I know exactly how you felt. I was in the minority so I had to align myself with the other people in the minority. Those people were Mike and Jenn. Everyone else was against me and treated me just like Henry treated you. That's why I can't get rid of her. I don't like her but she's in my alliance. You walked into a tribe divided. There's me, Mike, and Jenn on one side and Ricky, Joanne, and Alicia on the other. I want you to join our side."

"I really want to join your alliance. I wouldn't want to join the other side if they treated you like Henry treated me, but I want to vote for Jenn. I'm sorry."

Peter knew he had to get a back-up plan going. He knew that there was a way to eliminate Ricky. But he had to make sure Ricky's alliance did not vote for anyone from his and he had to make sure Ricky felt safe enough to not use his hidden immunity idol. Peter went to have a talk with Ricky.

"I think we might have a common goal here."

"What's that?"

"Well, Diane is the obvious swing vote. I went and had a talk with her and she's up in the air. That's a problem for both me and you. If she swings one way- you're gone, if she swings the other-I'm gone. And we won't know which side she'll go to. She told me she'd make up her mind when it was time to vote."

"That concerns me."

"Her vote puts us both in danger. But we can put fate in our own hands if we all vote for her. That way; we're both safe. The only other option is to roll the dice and hope she picks your side, but I'm not willing to take that risk."

"I'm not either."

"So we all vote off Diane."

"Agreed."

The two shook hands. What Ricky didn't know was Diane wasn't up in the air; she was set to vote for Jenn. Peter was worried that if Ricky and Diane compared notes they would find out that Peter was lying and all vote for him. But it was a risk Peter had to take. Peter informed his allies to vote for Ricky.

When the Ganando tribe arrived at tribal council, the Perdiendo tribe was waiting in the jury's position. As Jeff chatted with the tribe mostly about Diane's mutiny Peter started to sweat. So many things could go wrong with his plan. _What if the Perdiendo tribe gives immunity to Diane? What if they give immunity to Ricky? What if Ricky plays his idol? What if Ricky votes for Jenn? What if Ricky talked to Diane and they decided to vote for me?_ Peter was getting paranoid and was so deep in thought that he barely heard it when Jeff asked,

"Well, Ricky just confirmed that there was a 3-3 split between the alliances in this tribe before Diane came along. Does that make Diane the swing vote?"

"Ideally, I would want her to come to my side but she can vote for whoever she wants," responded Peter, ignoring the question.

"What about this immunity vote, does anybody feel like they need this immunity?" asked Jeff.

No one including Peter raised their hands but Peter shot a look at Pam sitting on the jury stage as to say, "I need it."

"Nobody feels like they need it. Not even you, Diane? You just joined this tribe."

"I might need it but I know I'm not gonna get it," replied Diane.

"Well it is time to vote, but before you vote the Perdiendo tribe will vote," he turned to the Perdiendo tribe. "As you read in your sealed note from the challenge, you are going to vote to give immunity to one member of the Ganando tribe. This is an individual decision, you're voting for the person you want to be safe tonight at the vote. Whoever has the most votes will get immunity on the Ganando tribe, and then the Ganando tribe will vote. Pam, you're up."

When Pam went up to vote she wrote down Peter's name and said,

"Peter, you're my ally in this game. I hope I convinced enough people to vote for you so you'll be safe."

When Juan came up to vote he wrote down Joanne's name and said,

"Joanne, you're the hottest one there and I wanna keep you around as eye candy."

Henry came up to vote and voted for Ricky. He said,

"Ricky, you're weak and I wanna keep the other tribe weak and my tribe strong."

Once all the votes were tallied, Jeff came back and said,

"These votes are for immunity. You wanna see your name; the person with the most votes will be immune from tribal council.

"First vote-Peter."

"Ricky. 1 vote Peter, 1 vote Ricky."

"Joanne. 1 vote each for Peter, Ricky, and Joanne."

"Ricky. 2 votes Ricky."

"Ricky."

"Peter. 3 votes Ricky, 2 votes Peter, 1 vote Joanne."

"Peter. We're tied; 3 votes Peter, 3 votes Ricky, 1 vote left."

"Immunity goes to-Peter."

Peter breathed a huge sigh of relief. He didn't really think he needed it but he didn't want Ricky to get it. Jeff announced,

"Perdiendo tribe, your work is done. Grab your torches and head back to camp."

He then turned to the Ganando tribe and said,

"Now it is time to vote. Peter is safe, everyone else is fair game. Diane, you're up."

When Peter voted he said,

"I sure hope this works."

After Jeff returned from tallying the votes he said,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so." Peter couldn't help but look at Ricky. _Please don't play it. Please don't play it,_ thought Peter. Ricky sighed and looked on. He didn't stand up. After the pause Jeff announced,

"I'll read the votes."

"First vote-Diane."

"Diane."

"Jenn. 2 votes Diane, 1 vote Jenn."

"Ricky, 2 votes Diane, 1 vote Ricky, 1 vote Jenn."

"Ricky. We're tied 2 votes Ricky, 2 votes Diane."

"Diane. 3 votes Diane, 2 votes Ricky, 1 vote left."

"Last vote-Ricky. We have a tie. Here's what's gonna happen. Ricky and Diane since you are tied you cannot vote. Everyone else will vote for either Ricky or Diane. After this round there will be no tie. It is time to vote, Mike you're up."

Peter was relieved. He needed to force a tie between two people outside of his alliance for the plan to work. With Ricky and Diane ineligible to vote, that left 5 people to vote. Therefore Peter's alliance of 3 people: Mike, Jenn, and himself had the majority in the revote.

Once everyone was done voting, Jeff said,

"I'll read the votes."

"First vote-Diane."

"Diane."

"Ricky. 2 votes Diane, 1 vote Ricky."

"Ricky. We're tied; 2 votes Diane, 2 votes Ricky, 1 vote left."

"The 5th person voted out of Survivor Bora-Bora-Ricky. Ricky, you'll have to bring me your torch."

Ricky stood up stunned. He brought Jeff his torch. As Jeff snuffed it he said,

"Ricky, you're tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

 **Immunity Vote**

Juan-Joanne

 **1 vote Joanne**

Henry-Ricky

Buck-Ricky

Matty-Ricky

 **3 votes Ricky**

Pam-Peter

Lisa-Peter

Amy-Peter

Michelle-Peter

 **4 votes Peter**

 **Vote**

Diane-Jenn

 **1 vote Jenn**

Ricky-Diane

Alicia-Diane

Joanne-Diane

 **3 votes Diane**

Peter-Ricky

Jenn-Ricky

Mike-Ricky

 **3 votes Ricky**

 **Revote**

Alicia-Diane

Joanne-Diane

 **2 votes Diane**

Peter-Ricky

Jenn-Ricky

Mike-Ricky

 **3 votes Ricky**

Ricky-ineligible

Diane-ineligible

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 6

 **X-eliminated**

 **Contestants:**

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

 **Peter's Alliance:**

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon Henry Kaider

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren

 **Other Alliance:**

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson **X** Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee

Alicia Brown Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez

Diane Baxter

Jon Kelly **X**

When Peter walked back to camp he felt happy. He just took out his biggest threat, flushed an idol, and thought he gained a majority through a difficult and gutsy revote majority plan. _Sure, if Diane joins Alicia and Joanne the alliances could be tied, but Alicia and Joanne just voted for her twice. There's no way Diane will go with them,_ thought Peter. Peter went to bed happily.

Diane was shocked to see her name written down at tribal council. She confronted Alicia and Joanne.

"Why did you guys vote for me tonight?"

"We didn't want to, but Peter told Ricky that you were up in the air between voting for Ricky or Peter so he told us to all vote for you. Ricky freaked out about you voting for him and told us to vote for you," explained Alicia.

"I was never gonna vote for Ricky or Peter. I told Peter I was voting for Jenn 100%,"said Diane.

"Jenn's Peter's home girl. He prob'ly freaked out about you votin' for her so he lied to Ricky to save her."

"He lied?" _There's nothing in the world I hate more than liars,_ thought Diane.

"Prob'ly. It wouldn't surprise me. That snaked has been lying since day 1."

That was it. That turned Diane against Peter. Her dislike of Jenn was completely forgotten and replaced by hatred of Peter for lying. She took the leadership position in Ricky's old alliance and vowed to eliminate Peter.

"I hate liars! The 3 of us; that's the new alliance. We have to get rid of him."

"3 people out of 6 aren't a majority. It's not enough votes to eliminate somebody," pointed out Alicia.

"It isn't?" asked Joanne.

"No honey, it's only half," explained Alicia.

"Oh," realized Joanne.

"We need to flip one member from the other alliance to our side or find the hidden immunity idol," claimed Diane.

Still wanting to get Peter's side of the story, Diane woke up Peter.

"I need to talk to you," she said.

They distanced themselves from camp to talk. Once they were far enough away Peter asked,

"What's up?"

"Well, you know I got my name written down thrice tonight. I just want some answers."

"Well, I don't have any. I didn't write your name down. Me, Mike, and Jenn all voted for Ricky. It was his 3 that voted for you."

"I know that."

"Then, what do you need to know?"

"I need to know why. Why would Ricky and his alliance vote for me?"

"Because it's easy. You're a newcomer to the tribe. It's an easy decision to vote out the newest person."

"So you didn't tell Ricky to vote for me because I was the swing vote."

"I did not," Peter lied. _Deny, Deny, Deny,_ thought Peter.

"That's funny. I wonder why Alicia and Joanne are both telling me that then. I guess they're both hallucinating," said Diane.

"No they're both lying."

"No, they're not! Shoot I was hoping you'd be honest about something, but now you've lied to Ricky and now you've lied to me. I hate liars."

"Diane, I'm not lying."

"Yes, you are! And because of it, I'm gonna do my best to take you out. Liars have no place in this game," she said before she walked off.

The giddiness from pulling off his big move had worn off. Peter realized what had just happened. _Diane's the leader of the other side now. The alliances are tied 3-3 again._ Peter knew no one from Diane's alliance would flip, the only way to break the tie while avoiding a purple rock tiebreaker1 was to find the hidden immunity idol. Whichever alliance found the hidden immunity idol would have the advantage.

Peter planned on looking for it right then but Joanne stopped him. Most information went into one of Joanne's ears and out the other but she was able to realize that Peter had betrayed Ricky who was her closest ally (more importantly the person who did all her thinking for her).

"You disgust me," she spat at Peter.

"I have a perfectly good reason for doing what I did," Peter explained.

"You stabbed him in the back!"

"He was my biggest threat."

"You don't care about anybody but yourself, you're a selfish lying snake! Diane's right you don't deserve to be here!" she screamed at Peter.

"Feel free to write my name down at the next tribal council. I just hope you can spell it," said Peter, referring to Joanne's misspelling of his name at the last two tribal councils (She spelled it "Konnir"). _Who spells Peter with a "K," anyway?_ thought Peter. Since the whole tribe was watching him, Peter postponed the idol search until everyone was asleep.

Peter tried searching, but he was armed with no clue and the sky was foggy; blocking out the moonshine. It was practically pitch black. He decided it was futile to search when he couldn't see and waited until dawn. He lay awake all night, anxiously waiting for first light. The first light was not very bright as a storm had hit the Ganandos, but when it was light enough to see, Diane rose as well. Peter waited for Diane to enter the forest to follow suit. Peter entered a different part of the forest than Diane. Peter headed for tree mail and checked all possible spaces an idol could be hidden. No luck. There was a small cave near the stream. Peter crawled inside and dug around. No luck. On the outside of the cave, there were many crevices. He checked all of them. He checked some trees before heading to the bridge. Once he could see the bridge he saw Diane. She was looking under the edge of the bridge and didn't see Peter. He started jogging, sensing that Diane was close to finding it.

It was too late, Diane pulled out the idol wrapped in cloth. Luckily, Peter was far enough away that she didn't see him. Peter hid and watched Diane do a very awkward and jerky victory dance. Thinking it was an advantage if Diane didn't know that Peter saw him find the idol, Peter hurried off to camp. He quickly returned to bed and pretended to sleep. Within minutes, Diane returned and did the same. After about an hour of pretending to sleep, Peter deemed it safe to wake up and make breakfast. With Diane having the Ganando tribe's idol, Peter put all his hope in getting the Perdiendo tribe's idol.

Peter wanted to win the reward challenge and choose himself as the observer to make sure he had time to talk to Pam. It was a gritty reward challenge. 3 tribe members would each be holding a rope that supported a net, 3 tribe members from the opposing would throw coconuts into the net to try to make you drop the rope. The tribe who still has at least one person left holding the rope wins reward. The reward was a trip to an all-you-can-eat outback steakhouse. The one rule with the weight bearers was there had to be 2 men and one woman. The Ganando tribe chose Peter, Mike (the only 2 men), and Alicia as the weight bearers. The Perdiendo tribe chose Buck, Henry, and Michelle as weight bearers while Pam and Amy sat out.

Matty never missed a coconut and rained coconuts into all 3 of the Ganando tribe's weight bearers' nets. With the help of Lisa Alicia was out. Jenn and Joanne were virtually useless throwing coconuts. They were barely strong enough to throw the coconuts high enough. Diane had done a majority of the work throwing coconuts, but Buck, Henry, and Michelle all looked solid. Throw after throw Matty dumped coconuts into Mike and Peter's nets. They were both struggling. The rope started to slip from Peter's grip but before it left his hand, he readjusted. The rope slipping had opened the blisters on his palm and blood was slowly oozing from Peter's hand. Mike started to clench his teeth and his arms began to shake.

Diane got on a roll and focused on Michelle and Henry's nets. Before long Michelle was out and Henry was struggling. Both Peter and Mike's nets were much fuller than anyone else's and Mike's rope slipped. It was down to Peter for the Ganando tribe. But Matty and Lisa hit Peter's net over and over again. He didn't know how much longer he could go. Diane picked up the pace and shot several coconuts into Henry's net. Henry finally gave in. It was Peter versus Buck, but it was taking everything Peter had to hold on. Buck on the other hand wasn't struggling. Finally the rope slipped and Peter was out, giving the Perdiendo tribe reward again. Luckily for Peter, Pam was chosen as the observer.

Peter was bummed about losing but he was glad to see Pam chosen as the observer. She brought her bag. After making the tribe a meal of fried coconut and a fish Peter had caught the day before (he gave Pam a larger serving), Peter and Pam went for a walk along the beach after the tribe dispersed.

"I saved you last tribal with that immunity vote," said Pam.

 _Not really,_ thought Peter. _I didn't need immunity. I just needed Ricky to be vulnerable._ But Peter knew Pam was still under the impression that Peter was on the total outs of his tribe.

"You sure did," agreed Peter. "But immunity votes aren't going to happen at every tribal council."

"I guess I'm gonna have to save you another way," hinted Pam

"Do you have the idol?" asked Peter.

"I do, but I'm having a tough time decision making. It's a big deal to just hand over the idol."

"An act that will not be forgotten," assured Peter.

"I'm starting to doubt whether the reward is worth the risk. I'm in some hot water at my tribe. This idol might be my only form of protection," explained Pam.

Pam was intelligent. You could tell just by the way she spoke. He knew then that Pam was a self-interested player. The only way to convince her of giving up the idol would be to make it seem like giving him the idol would help Pam individually _and_ her tribe as a whole.

"It may also be the reason that you've been targeted," Peter pointed out.

"How so?" asked Pam.

"I assume the idol is yours if you are delivering it."

"You are correct."

"Since this act is one that beneficial for the tribe, more so than an individual, I assume your tribe is aware of your possession of the idol."

"They are."

"For those who don't have the idol, it's intimidating knowing someone else has that much power. Since they know you have it; that singles you out. But if you didn't have the idol, you're no bigger a threat than anyone else. You could also earn some trust since giving me the idol will help the tribe," explained Peter.

Pam had been considering the same point, but hearing it persuaded her more.

"I have been mulling that very point," confessed Pam.

"Great minds think alike," said Peter with a smile.

"This will guarantee your safety through to the merge?" clarified Pam.

"If I go to tribal council tomorrow and win the next 3 immunity challenges, yes. This is the only scenario that concerns you."

"And you promise us your loyalty?"

"Gladly."

"Good. You're on the outs of your tribe and I'm on the outs of mine. At the merge we'll soon become targets."

"We'll be on the bottom of the alliance," Peter agreed.

"The only way we'll make it is we stick together, and flip flop alliances when we have to."

"I think we'll work well together."

"Hopefully, we'll work well until day 39," said Pam.

"Agreed."

"Well the only way we'll get there is if you have this," said Pam as she handed him the wrapped hidden immunity idol and walked away.

 _Sweet! Now I have an idol and a final 2 deal on the other side. I'm set to be a mole on the other tribe,_ thought Peter happily.He knew Pam's idol giveaway had more to do with improving her individual position in the tribe than anything else. But Peter's fabricated story about being on the outs and securing Pam's tribe's numbers was still pivotal. He knew he got lucky that she had been outcast from her tribe because of her possession of the idol, but all good moves require a degree of luck. Regardless, Peter had a small advantage now. While both he and Diane had idols, Peter knew Diane had an idol; she was clueless of Peter's.

This advantage relaxed Peter. Now that he knew what the idol looked like, Peter decided to make a fake one. The idol was a necklace with colorful beads, at the center was a very pretty ornament that looked like a miniature unicorn horn on it. He went to the tribe flag and stripped several of the beads from it. He had been secretly keeping the string from tree mail and he threaded some of the beads on. He then took a walk far down the beach. Once he found a similar looking shell with a hole in it, he threaded it onto the string as well. After adding some more beads, the necklace was remarkably similar to the hidden immunity idol. _That'll come in handy later on,_ he thought. He wasn't worried about being away from camp. Peter thought his alliance was secure and Diane probably thought Peter was still looking for the Ganando tribe's hidden immunity idol in vain. What Peter didn't know was Diane was working on Jenn to flip to her side.

"Jenn, I'm sorry for our little altercation a few days back. I know you were just being honest and I snapped. I hope you can forgive me," apologized Diane.

"Don't worry about it," said Jenn. Jenn snapped at people every day, she had completely forgotten about her whole altercation with Diane.

"Jenn, the alliances are split right down the middle right now. There's you, Mike, and Peter on one side and me, Alicia, and Joanne on the other. If we vote it's gonna be a 3-3 tie probably between me and him. What happens in a tie is there is a purple rock tiebreaker. That's bad for all of us. But if you flip to our side, there's no purple rock and you're safety is secured," explained Diane.

"I'll think about it," said Jenn.

The answer worried Diane. _I might have to play the idol. I don't know if she'll flip,_ thought Diane.

But Jenn was giving a lot more thought to the proposition than Diane expected. Jenn was scared to death of purple rock tiebreakers. _I don't my fate determined by a rock!_ thought Jenn. _But I don't want to become fourth in a 4 person alliance either._ She thought about the pros and Cons of both options.

With both a real and fake hidden immunity idol, Peter felt as prepared as he could be for the rest of the game. _Things are finally going my way,_ thought Peter. _My alliance is tight, I have a cross tribal alliance, and I have an idol. Maybe we'll even win the next immunity challenge._ After a good night's rest he was ready for the challenge.

The immunity challenge was a water challenge. Peter loved every opportunity he could get to go in the water. 1 tribe member would swim out with a board attached to a rope to a buoy with 5 bags of puzzle pieces tied to it at increasing depths. They would have to untie 1 bag of puzzle pieces and jump on the board, the other 5 tribe members would pull that tribe mate back. This would continue until all 5 bags were retrieved. It did not matter if one person went more than once. Once all the puzzle bags were retrieved 2 tribe members would have to use them to solve a puzzle. The first tribe to complete the puzzle would win immunity. Because the Perdiendo tribe had 2 extra tribe members Buck and Juan sat out.

Peter and Matty swam out first. Matty was the best swimmer of the entire cast and gave the Perdiendo tribe a small lead after the first swim. Both Peter and Matty swam out the second time and Matty increased the Perdiendo tribe's lead. He switched out with Henry but Peter swam out a third time. He was able to decrease the Perdiendo tribe's lead by a few feet but he was exhausted. He handed over the board to Jenn. Matty swam out for a third collective time and greatly increased the lead by swimming much faster than Jenn. Adding insult to injury, Jenn had trouble retrieving the bag. It took her several tries before she was able to get it. By that time Matty had swam out again and lapped her. Once Jenn finally got back with the bag, Diane swam out for the final one. She did well but it was too late as Pam Lee had once again solved the puzzle with ease.

So the Ganandos were heading to tribal council for the sixth straight time. The preparation was straightforward. Peter instructed his alliance who to vote for. Peter believed Diane would probably play the idol on herself, thinking she would be targeted as the alliance leader. To further convince Diane of this, Peter had a talk with Joanne.

"Look Joanne, I'm not gonna BS you. It's obvious. You guys have 3 and we have 3. As it stands now we're going into this tribal at a tie. If that happens there will a purple rock tiebreaker. Now I don't want that to happen. So if you join the 3 of us and vote for Diane we're all safe," explained Peter. _That is the biggest load of BS that has ever come out of my mouth,_ he thought.

Joanne nodded stupidly and said,

"Okay."

Once Peter left, Joanne scurried off to Diane.

"Peter just told me to vote for you," spat out Joanne.

"Well that makes it really easy then now doesn't it?"

After that, he spent the afternoon wondering who Diane's alliance would vote for. Jenn decided not to tell Peter about the conversation she had with Diane. She was still contemplating whether to flip or not. Peter assumed Diane's alliance would vote for him because Peter was the leader but they had made no indications that they were. Peter's motive in talking to Joanne about flipping was for her to tell Diane, so she'd play the idol on herself but he had second thoughts. _Joanne might be dumb enough to listen to me. I don't think she talked to Diane afterwards. If she votes for Diane, I won't have to use this idol. I don't want to waste it,_ he thought. Peter decided that Joanne was probably telling the truth and would vote for Diane. _She's not smart enough to lie,_ thought Peter.

Peter headed off to tribal council confidently. He thought he was safe but brought the idol anyway. When they arrived, Jeff greeted them with,

"You know, I've seen you guys so much. Tribal Council is starting to become bonding time."

"We love you too Jeff," said Peter jokingly.

"11 challenge losses, that has to be some kind of record."

"It is tied with the Ulong tribe of _Survivor Palau_ for 2nd most tribal challenge losses. It is only surpassed by the Ravu tribe of _Survivor Fiji_ with 12 _,_ " responded Peter.

"Well, alright then," said Jeff, surprised at Peter's extensive knowledge.

"How are you guys coping with all the losses?"asked Jeff.

"It's hard to stay motivated. Sometime you think, _Why even try? We're just gonna lose again,"_ answered Jenn.

"And if losing isn't enough. We gotta go and deal with this later," added Alicia.

"No one likes tribal council. But we have had some crazy tribal councils lately. You guys have been here 5 times. 4 times you voted and there have been 4 blindsides. How do you prepare and try to figure out whether you're going home or not?"

"You just try to imagine what the other alliance is thinking and who they'd vote for," replied Diane.

"So would you say, there's a majority alliance and it's just about figuring out who they're voting for, or are the alliances split?"

"They're split right down the middle," answered Peter.

"Does anybody feel like they're the swing vote?"

Jenn and Joanne raised their hands.

"I feel like I am because the other alliance was talking to me," answered Joanne.

"How do you base your decision?" asked Jeff.

"What does 'base' mean?"

"Never mind. Have you figured out what side are you going to vote with?" asked Jeff.

"I'm going to vote with the side that helps _me_ stay in the game," answered Joanne ambiguously. But Peter read it as "I'm going to flip."

"Jenn, what about you? You raised your hand."

"I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place. If I vote one way, I'm in the majority but at the bottom. If I vote the other way, I could get eliminated by a purple rock," answered Jenn. Peter had no idea that she was even considering swapping sides. Usually she just agreed to vote whoever Peter asked. Peter was making a fake hidden immunity idol when Ricky was trying to flip her. This worried Peter.

"How do you think you're going to base your decision?"

"It's loyalty versus safety and I feel like I'll make the decision when I go up there to write down someone's name," answered Jenn.

Peter was sitting too far away from her to tell her about the idol Pam gave him. In retrospect it was dumb not to tell her about it but at the time he didn't think he needed to. Peter started to sweat. He was reconsidering everything. _What if Jenn flips? Maybe she's just playing that up. Should I play the idol? Do I need to? What if Joanne flips? What am I going to do?_ His feeling of confidence had completely evaporated. He was so caught up in his own paranoia that when Jeff asked him a question he didn't hear it.

"What?" asked Peter.

"I said, 'going back to previous tribal council, it seems like you've been in the hot seat a lot. You've received votes every time you weren't immune. Once you would have gone home had you not played the hidden immunity idol. How are you still in this game?"' repeated Jeff.

"Well, I've been scrambling. Every vote, I've had to scramble. If I didn't, I would have gone home. I'm doing everything I can just to stay in the game."

"Is there anything you wouldn't do? A line you wouldn't cross?"

"My mom told me before I left that she understood if I had to lie to survive in this game. But she said she'd disown me if I burned anyone's socks, stole the machete, or poured out the tribe's water. Anything else; I can do. I don't know if you can tell, but she's not a big Russell fan," joked Peter. The humor relaxed him a bit.

Jeff laughed,

"Well, with that, it's time to vote. Jenn you're up."

Peter's voting confessional was simple,

"You're just too much of a wild card."

Jeff tallied the votes. Once he returned he said,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

Diane stood up and handed Jeff his idol. When she walked back, she looked at Peter as if to say, "you're screwed."

Jeff then announced,

"The rules of _Survivor_ state that if someone plays a hidden immunity idol, then any votes cast against that person will not count and the person with the next highest number of votes will be sent home. This _is_ a hidden immunity idol. All votes cast for Diane will not count."

Peter was still contemplating whether or not to play it. He felt safe before tribal but Jenn's comment was still on his mind. Finally Jeff started,

"I'll read the-"

Peter interrupted him,

"Wait, Jeff!"

He stood up and gave Jeff his idol. Diane's Jaw dropped.

"Gotta keep my torch lit," Peter explained. He still wondered whether or not he wasted the idol.

Jeff repeated,

"The rules of _Survivor_ state that if anyone plays a hidden immunity idol, then any votes cast against that person will not count and the person with the next highest number of votes will be sent home. This _is_ also a hidden immunity idol. All votes cast for Diane or Peter will not count. Now, I'll read the votes."

He reached into the urn and said,

"First vote-Peter, does not count." It was Joanne's vote. This time it was spelled "Konnur." _Why can't people spell? I blame spell check,_ he thought.

"Peter, does not count."

"Peter, does not count." Now, Peter was relieved that he played the idol.

"Peter. That's 4 votes Peter, none of them count, still no votes for anybody." _What the hell? 4 votes. I thought if I got any, it would just be the 3 from the other alliance: Ricky, Joanne, and Alicia._ It dawned on him, _Jenn voted for me._

"Alicia. That's 1 vote Alicia, 1 vote left."

"The 6th person voted out of Survivor Bora-Bora-Alicia. That's 2, tonight, that's enough."

Alicia was shocked, thinking the votes would go on Ricky. She was too shocked to even curse them out. She brought Jeff her torch.

"Alicia, your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

 **Vote**

Peter-Alicia

Mike-Alicia

 **2 votes Alicia**

Diane-Peter

Alicia-Peter

Joanne-Peter

Jenn-Peter

 **4 votes Peter- voided by idol**

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 7

 **X-eliminated**

 **Contestants:**

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

 **Peter's Alliance:**

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon Henry Kaider

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren

 **Other Alliance:**

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson **X** Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee

Alicia Brown **X** Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez

Diane Baxter

Jon Kelly **X**

Peter felt just as blindsided as Alicia at tribal council. He thought that Joanne would defect from her alliance, giving his alliance the majority. Not only did Joanne stick with her allies and vote against Peter, Jenn defected from _his_ alliance and voted against him. Had Peter not played his idol, he would have gone home… again. Peter felt betrayed by Jenn, but he wasn't angry about it. He had recently betrayed his own fair share of people in the game. _You better be able to take it if you dish it out,_ he thought. He was just glad he was still in the game. He viewed Jenn's vote against him more as his own strategic mistake rather than a personal betrayal. It was very rare that a mistake like that didn't cost you. In this case Jenn's vote against him was meaningless. Had she stayed loyal, it would have been a 3-3 tie between Peter and Alicia and he would have had to play the idol to prevent a tie. A tie to Peter was synonymous to being voted out. _Jenn probably feared the tie as much as me,_ thought Peter. _That's why she flipped, not because she felt more loyal to the other alliance._

Even though Jenn voted against him at tribal council, Peter thought Jenn was more loyal to him than Joanne and Diane. He just had to keep control of his alliance. The thought of him being the leader of the majority alliance excited him. He had shown his prowess at the scrambling aspect of the game, but all great _Survivor_ players had led a majority alliance and knew how to maintain their power. Now it was Peter's turn.

When the Ganando tribe arrived at camp, their fire was gone. The rain had rarely stopped since they first set foot on the island. Peter welcomed the rain. It crushed everyone's spirits; making them easier to manipulate and the rainclouds blocked the moon, which prevented Diane from searching for the new hidden immunity idol. With the weather momentarily preventing much strategy, Peter fell into a fitful sleep.

He woke before dawn and waited. Once it was light enough to see, he set out for the search. But Diane tagged along as well. Everywhere Peter went, Diane was there. She followed him to the bridge, tree mail, the stream, everywhere. If Peter was checking a tree for the hidden immunity idol; Diane was checking the closest root. There was only one other land mark Peter hadn't checked: the mini cave. The thought of Diane finding the idol terrified Peter. His plans would be obliterated. If they looked for the idol in the same spot and at the same time; they would have an equal chance of finding it. _Finding the idol isn't essential, but it is essential that Diane doesn't,_ thought Peter. He quickly formulated a less risky plan to prevent Diane from finding the idol. When he headed for the mini-cave, he sprinted. Diane sprinted as well and knew where Peter was headed, but Peter arrived at the mini-cave seconds before Diane. He still had the realistic but fake idol in his pocket. He took it out and quickly wrapped it in his old idol's cloth with some twine from tree mail. He dropped it in a small crevice that had filled with rainwater. Diane arrived about a second later. Peter checked a few crevices side-by-side with Diane before he reached in and grabbed his planted idol. When he pulled it out, he exclaimed,

"Yes!"

Once Diane saw him grab what she thought was the idol, she felt defeated. The idol was her last chance. Peter and Diane walked back to camp awkwardly together. Although Peter didn't have the real idol, by feigning that he did, it stopped Diane from searching for it. _As long as the idol isn't in Diane's hands, that's all that matters,_ thought Peter. He desperately wanted to keep searching for the real one, but he knew if he kept looking; Diane would figure out that Peter didn't have it. In that case Diane would continue her search. This could prove fatal to Peter if Diane found it. Therefore Peter vowed not to search for the idol. Besides, he would be busy baby-sitting Jenn to keep her from flipping again.

After breakfast and once the tribe dispersed, Peter went fishing with Jenn. As soon as they were far enough away from camp, Jenn apologized to him,

"Peter, I-I'm sorry. I didn't want to vote for you. I trust you and Mike way more than Diane and Joanne. It's just the tie, you know. And I didn't know about your idol."

"I totally understand. I should have shown you the idol so you'd know there wouldn't have been a tie. But I don't make the same mistake twice," assured Peter as he pulled out his fake idol.

"You found it!"

"Yup. I found it early this morning. Diane was searching for it too but I got it."

"Sick!" cried Jenn before hugging Peter.

"I don't know why I didn't show it to you last time. I trust you 100%. This is _our_ idol. If you're ever in danger, I'll give this to you. This is our ticket to the end. Nothing's changed; it's me and you on Day 39," assured Peter.

"So you're not using it next tribal?" asked Jenn.

The question worried Peter. _Why would I need to play it tonight? Maybe she's making sure I won't play it so she blindsides me with the idol. She doesn't know it's fake._ But Peter kept his suspicions to himself.

"No, we're gonna need this after the merge. Why? Do you think I need to play it?"

The question caught Jenn off-guard.

"Um, no. But, just- the thing is, you know. I dunno, anything can happen."

Peter ignored the ambiguity of Jenn's answer and acted as if he got her point,

"No, I think we're safe tonight."

"Okay."

The tribe socialized for a few hours until the reward challenge. Peter was careful not to leave Jenn alone with Diane. The reward challenge was an obstacle course. First, each tribe would have to navigate through a multi-leveled net maze. Once all tribe members were on the mat, they could proceed to the wooden wall where they could either **dig under it or climb above it**. Once all tribe members were on the mat, they could move to the bamboo wall where they would have destroy it by charging into it. Once all tribe members were on the mat, one person from each tribe would go up to solve a sliding puzzle. Once completed it would release a hatchet. Once they had the hatchet, the tribe member would climb up a flight of wooden stairs where they would use the hatchet to cut through a rope to release a flying fox. The rest of the tribe members would be trapped by a wooden gate. The one tribemember would then go down the flying fox which would take them to the placement mat and a suspended key. They would then run back to the wooden gate to release their tribemates. Then they would all run to the finish mat. The first tribe to have all their members on the finish mat wins a trip to a Polynesian village where they would be treated to a traditional feast. Since the Perdiendo tribe had 3 extra tribe members Matty, Amy, and Michelle sat out.

The Ganando tribe started off badly. Despite Peter, Diane, Jenn, and Mike all getting through the maze quicker than the Perdiendo tribe, Joanne was still at the beginning digging a tunnel under the maze.

"What are you doing?!" asked Peter angrily.

"Jeff said we could go under or over. I chose under," explained Joanne.

"We could go under or over the wooden wall! You have to go _through_ the maze!"

"Oh," replied Joanne.

Joanne finally navigated the maze but by that time the Perdiendo tribe was already onto the sliding puzzle. Since Pam was on the sliding puzzle it was solved in seconds. The Ganando tribe was able to get over the wooden wall, but it was far too late. Pam had already flown down the flying fox, retrieved the key, and released her tribemates. By the time the Ganando tribe had reached the bamboo wall, the Perdiendo tribe had already won the challenge. Jeff asked the Ganando tribe to run to the finish mat.

"Well, guys. That was a blow-out," said Jeff.

"Thank you for reminding us of that," replied Peter sarcastically.

"The Perdiendo tribe remains undefeated. 12 straight challenges Wow. Well guys, enjoy your reward. You earned it. Just one order of business. Who's gonna be the observer?" asked Jeff.

The Perdiendo tribe picked Pam once again, leaving her out of the reward.

"As for you, Ganando tribe, I got nothing for you but some advice. Get it together or you'll be extinct very soon."

The Ganando tribe returned to camp disappointed as usual.

"Isn't it nice being the worst tribe in _Survivor_ history?" asked Peter sarcastically.

"Yeah, it sure is," replied Jenn.

But the disappointment soon dissipated once the strategy started. _I have to take out Peter and the idol. He's too powerful,_ thought Jenn, _and he doesn't trust me. How could he? I voted for him last tribal. If I take him out now, he won't play the idol because he thinks I'm with him. I just have to talk with Diane and Joanne ._ It was Peter's goal to keep his allies from flipping on him. That was the goal of all alliance leaders. _The best way to keep your allies from flipping is to stop them from strategizing. By keeping them from strategizing, they have no choice but to stay loyal,_ thought Peter. So Peter watched Jenn and Mike. Jenn got up from the group and said,

"I'm gonna go get water. You wanna help me, Diane?"

Peter realized what was going on and stopped it.

"Don't worry, I'll go with you," said Peter.

"Oh, it's not necessary. Diane and I can handle it," said Jenn. _Why won't he leave me alone?_ thought Jenn.

"I insist."

Jenn gave up. She and Peter got water. Peter was comfortable leaving Mike with Diane. Mike was loyal. When they got back, Jenn made various other attempts to talk to Diane privately.

"You wanna go fishing with me, Diane? You wanna take a walk with me, Diane? You wanna collect firewood with me, Diane? You wanna go take a dip with me, Diane?" she would ask.

Each time, Peter would stop them by either saying,

"Don't worry, I'll go with you." Or

"I'll tag along too."

Finally Jenn caught a break when Peter went to the shelter to go drink water. Jenn and Diane immediately went for a walk in the forest toward tree mail. When Peter came back to the beach, Jenn and Diane were gone. He figured they went on a walk in the forest. If they were walking on the beach, he would see them and they didn't go on the boat because it was still docked. There were 2 trails: one towards tree mail and one towards the well. Peter chose the well. He sprinted down the trail.

Once Jenn deemed it far enough away from camp she started talking to Diane.

"So, I think we both have a common target here," hinted Jenn.

"Who's that?"

"I don't think my alliance trusts me, because I betrayed them."

"Uh-huh."

"So if you, Joanne, and I vote together, we have the majority."

"Yes we would."

"There's just one small setback."

"Which is?"

"Peter has the hidden immunity idol," revealed Jenn.

"I am aware," said Diane.

"So if you, me, and Joanne all vote-" started Jenn.

Peter came in sprinting and interrupted,

"What are we talking about guys?"

"Oh nothing," said Diane.

With their privacy breached Jenn and Diane reluctantly returned back to camp. As Peter continued to babysit Jenn, Jenn grew increasingly frustrated. Jenn couldn't be alone with Diane to organize her plan to eliminate Peter. _The one time I did get to talk to Diane, Peter managed to come in at just the wrong time. I told her Peter had the idol, but I didn't have enough time to tell her who to vote for. She might think that since Peter has the idol, she and Joanne should vote for Mike instead,_ thought Jenn. Jenn was bound and determined to vote off Peter, but if she wasn't able to organize the plan; it might all be for naught. Now she started to question whether to vote Peter or not.

Peter was hoping that the onetime Jenn and Diane were able to talk to each other privately; he interrupted them before the plan was finalized. _People usually don't follow through with plans that are unclear,_ he reminded himself. He continued to keep Jenn from strategizing until the tribe plus Pam went to bed.

Peter and Pam woke up early to talk strategy. With Jenn and Diane both asleep there was no sense in watching them.

"Did you use the idol?" asked Pam.

"I had to," he said.

"Did you find the new one at your camp?"

"No, I looked but I couldn't find it."

"Well, you're lucky I'm on your side," said Pam with a rare smile.

"You found your tribe's new idol?" asked Peter.

"Yup."

"We'll have all the power at the merge," assured Peter excitedly.

"Do you think you'll survive the next tribal if you lose the next immunity challenge?" asked Pam.

"I think I might make it. I have made some new allies," said Peter vaguely.

The sleeping Ganando tribe started to stir. To avoid suspicion, Pam and Peter made breakfast. When the tribe started to disperse, Peter continued following Jenn. With Peter keeping Jenn from talking to Diane, she felt like his last glimpse of hope was lost. _If he never leaves her alone, she'll be forced to stick with him,_ thought Diane. It was Diane's dream to win survivor. She had been a fan of the game since its inception in the year 2000. She had studied the social dynamics of each season. She felt that all his work had gone to waste. _All because Peter won't give me a chance to save myself,_ thought Diane. She thought Peter would target her at the next tribal council. She felt so close, if she survived this tribal council, she'd make the merge and breathe new life. But Diane didn't think Peter would let that happen. She started to despise Peter for stealing her dream away from her. Diane wanted to have all good, honest, deserving players in the end. Therefore, even if she went home, she knew the season would have a deserving winner. She hated it when an undeserving person won the game. But Peter took even that away from her. _Well_ i _f I go down, I'll drag him down with me,_ vowed Diane. So she talked to Pam, her old ally from the Perdiendo tribe.

"I don't know why I joined this tribe. Peter's worse than Henry. You can't trust him," started Diane, getting right to the point.

"Why's that?" asked Pam.

"He's a liar. He's running this tribe like a cult. He's playing everybody, and he's evil. Every tribal council he's lied. He's lied to every person on this tribe."

"He's running this tribe? I thought he was on the outs."

"On the outs! He's the goddamn leader of the alliance! He's picking everybody off one-by-one. _I'm_ on the outs! I guess he lied to you too. It doesn't surprise me. Don't trust that bastard."

This new information infuriated Pam. _He's been playing me this whole time! I trusted him. I gave him an idol! I saved him with that immunity vote,_ thought Pam. _Well I'll get my revenge at the merge. He will go first._ In her rage she was compelled to first take out Peter and then his closest allies. But when she and Peter next spoke she concealed her anger.

"Where were we? Oh, you said you might survive next tribal council."

 _Pam is talking strangely. What is she up to?_ thought Peter.

"Yeah, I might," responded Peter cautiously.

"Well, you said you might have some new allies," hinted Pam.

"I might have some allies on this side, but trust is built over a long period of time," said Peter.

"Who do you trust the most?"

 _Why does she care so much? She's acting so strange. It's like she's setting me up or something,_ thought Peter.

"Why do you need to know?"

The question caught Pam off guard. She scrambled to come up with something,

"Well, um. You know, it always…uh, good to have, um-good allies."

 _BullSh*t,_ thought Peter. Feeling it was a trap, he lied.

"Oh, that makes sense. Joanne's the one I trust the most. She's so stupid that she just does whatever I say."

"Oh, okay. She'll be good to take to the final 3 with us."

"Yeah," Peter still couldn't put his finger on what was wrong with Pam.

"Well, I was just curious. We'll talk again soon," said Pam as she left.

Peter stopped thinking about how strange Pam had acted and continued to babysit Jenn until the immunity challenge.

The challenge wasn't too original. One at a time, each tribemember would have to swim out to buoys and retrieve puzzle pieces attached to a rope until they had all seven sets of puzzle pieces. Each tribe member had to go out once. Once they had all the puzzle pieces 2 people from each tribe would solve the puzzle. The puzzle would form a flag. Once the flag is completed, 1 tribemember would dig in a sand pit for a machete. They would then use the machete to chop a rope, raising the flag. The first tribe to raise the flag wins immunity. Since the Perdiendo tribe had 3 extra members Buck, Juan, and Lisa sat out.

Henry and Peter swam out first; they brought back their puzzle pieces at almost the exact same time. Mike and Matty swam out next; Matty was the best swimmer on the season and gave the Perdiendo tribe a huge lead. Joanne added to the Perdiendo tribe's lead when she couldn't figure out how to unhook the puzzle pieces. By the time the Ganado tribe retrieved all the puzzle pieces, Pam Lee had already completed the flag for the Perdiendo tribe. Peter solved the puzzle almost as fast as Pam and it seemed like the Ganando tribe still had a chance because Matty from the Perdiendo tribe was having trouble finding the buried machete. Ricky started digging for the machete for the Ganando tribe. Ricky and Matty found the Machete at the same time but Matty was able to chop the rope first, giving the Perdiendo tribe its 13th straight challenge win and 7th consecutive immunity win.

Back at camp, Peter met with Jenn and Mike and instructed them who to vote for before resuming his watch of Jenn. Jenn knew she wouldn't be able to talk to Diane. If she were able to confirm that she, Diane, and Joanne were voting for Peter everything would be fine. But since Peter was constantly watching her, she had no guarantee of who Joanne and Diane were voting for. She felt so caught in the middle. _If I vote with Peter; there's a guarantee that who I vote for goes home and he might give me the idol. If I vote for Peter; he might not go home. But you have to take risks in this game and Peter is the biggest threat. This is the perfect time to do it too; he's said he won't play the idol,_ thought Jenn. She started to lean towards voting against Peter. As the Ganando tribe headed off to tribal council, she was still contemplating her options.

Jeff once again talked about all their losses and whether to vote on alliances or strength. After he was done talking to Jenn about being in the middle, he asked Peter,

"Peter, twice now you have had to play a hidden immunity idol to prevent you from going home. How do you trust these people when almost all have them have voted for you?"

"You have to trust your allies and hope that you can convince them to stay true to you based on a common goal."

"Well that obviously hasn't worked."

"I don't have a lot of allies, Jeff. I've seen my name written down a lot."

"Do you feel like you have a target on your back? I mean, People in the past have wanted you out. You've had your name written down at every tribal council you weren't immune."

"I definitely have a target on my back. People have wanted to take me out from day 1. My name has been thrown around more than anyone."

"So how safe do you feel tonight?"

"I wouldn't feel safe at all. At the last 2 out of 3 tribal councils if I didn't play the idol; I'd go home. I know a lot of people want to see my torch snuffed but- I'm not going home tonight," announced Peter as he pulled out the fake idol and wore it around his neck. "You could try to get me out next time but tonight I'm safe."

"Well, Peter is saying he's gonna play the idol. But the question is: Is he bluffing? That will be answered very soon because it is time to vote. Diane you're up."

When it was Peter's turn to vote he said,

"It's you or me, buddy. You've written my name down twice. I'm hoping it will only take me one try for you to go home."

When everyone was done voting and Jeff came back from tallying the votes, he announced,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

Everyone looked at Peter. He took a drink of water. _You can't play a fake idol,_ he thought. After a long pause Jeff said,

"I'll read the votes."

He reached into the urn and said,

"First vote-Peter."

"Peter. " Peter buried his face into his palms.

"Diane. 2 votes Peter, 1 vote Diane."

"Diane. We're tied, 2 votes Peter, 2 votes Diane, 1 vote left."

"The 7th person voted out of Survivor Bora-Bora-Diane. Diane that's 3, that's enough. You'll have to bring me your torch."

Diane brought Jeff her torch without making eye-contact or saying good-bye to anyone

"Diane, your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

Diane looked back right at Peter and said with hate,

"I might be going but I find joy in the fact that you're next."

 _What is she talking about?_ thought Peter.

 **Vote**

Diane-Peter

Joanne-Peter

 **2 votes Peter**

Peter-Diane

Mike-Diane

Jenn-Diane

 **3 votes Diane**

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 8

 **X-eliminated**

 **Contestants:**

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon Henry Kaider

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson **X** Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee

Alicia Brown **X** Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez

Diane Baxter **X**

Jon Kelly **X**

Jenn was frustrated as she walked back from camp. She had finally decided that she was going to take a risk and vote for Peter, but she changed her vote at tribal council because Peter flaunted the idol. She thought it made no sense to vote for a person who was going to use the idol anyway. She was shocked when he didn't play it. _Now he's still in the game and he has the idol!_ she thought angrily. _Now I have no choice but to stick with him. There is no alliance to flip to._

Peter on the other hand, was happy returning from camp. He had successfully kept his majority intact through tribal council. He wasn't sure if showing the fake idol was necessary, but he decided that it couldn't hurt him and it might keep Jenn from flipping to the other alliance. Although he enjoyed being his tribe's majority alliance leader, he anxiously anticipated a merge. There were only 12 players left and most of the recent seasons had a merge at that time. He realized that he would be at an 8-4 deficit in terms of tribe members, but with his cross tribal alliance with Pam Lee; the merge might bring him new opportunities. As a fan it was one of his survivor goals to make the merge. But to have any chance at survival with such a deficit, he needed to make sure his allies were loyal.

When the Ganando tribe returned to camp, Peter called a tribe meeting.

"Alright, I know all of us haven't always seen eye-to-eye, and the different alliances within this tribe has separated us at times, but we have to stick together. The merge is probably going to happen in the next 3 days; that means we'll be down 8-4 in numbers. The only way we're gonna make it is if we stick together. We don't have enough people for it to make sense to flip to the other tribe. But if we stay tight and fight as a team, we can ride this thing all the way to the final 4. Can we do that?"

The tribe answered in monotone,

"Yes."

The next morning Peter had a talk with Joanne on the canoe.

"Joanne, I really like you. You seem like someone I could trust. It's just been so hard for us to work together because of the alliances, you know?"

"Yeah," said Joanne.

"But now that that's all over and it's all about the team, we can work together."

 _Thank God,_ thought Jenn. _Now I have someone to tell me what to do again!_

"In this game you have to trust somebody. I feel like I can trust you so-" Peter pulled out the fake hidden immunity idol.

"I haven't shown anybody else this. You're the only one. If you're ever in danger, I'll give this to you. This is _our_ idol. This is our ticket," promised Peter, using almost the exact same words he told Jenn when he showed her the idol.

The act immediately bought Peter Joanne's loyalty. _I can really trust him because he showed me his idol. He wouldn't show me his idol if he didn't think I would trust him,_ thought Joanne. _And the idol is so pretty. I should stick with him because he has the pretty._ The idol reminded her of the necklace her boyfriend Enrique had given her. He had given her the necklace after a tough time in their relationship. He had just gotten out of jail and started to have an affair with the shift manager at the fast food restaurant he worked for: a woman named Rita. But after all that, he promised her that his relationship with Rita was over and that he'd make something of himself. To apologize he gave her a necklace. On the back was engraved,

 _To my love,_

 _Rita._ Which was etched out and had Joanne's name written down in sharpie instead. It really showed her that even though he had lied to her in the past, he realized that he really loved her and that she could trust him. It was the same as Peter; he had lied to her in the past, but now she knew she could trust him 100%. _You could always trust a man who gives you a pretty necklace,_ Joanne reminded herself, remembering her mom telling her that as a child.

Peter knew he had Joanne in his pocket now. _Showing people hidden immunity idols builds trust fast,_ thought Peter. With Diane gone, Joanne needed someone to latch onto. _She'll do whatever I say now,_ thought Peter happily.

Peter and Jenn went to retrieve tree mail expecting it to indicate a merge, but when they read it; it sounded more like a reward challenge. They would have to rank their tribe members from strongest to weakest. From strongest to weakest the tribe chose; Peter, Mike, Jenn, and lastly Joanne. They were instructed to leave immediately after the tribe members were ranked. _I didn't even have time to look for the hidden immunity idol,_ thought Peter.

When they arrived, the Perdiendo tribe was waiting for them. Jeff revealed the challenge. They would then compete in an endurance challenge. Each tribe member would hold 2 poles against board above them using the back of their hands for as long as they could. The last tribe member standing would win a trip to a café for their tribe. Since the Perdiendo tribe had 4 extra members Matty, Pam, Michelle, and Amy sat out.

 _Do do do, do do do do, do do do de doodly do do,_ thought Joanne. Then Joanne saw a butterfly. _Ooh, pretty butterfly,_ thought Joanne. She stopped to point at the butterfly, dropping her poles in the process.

"Joanne, you're out," announced Jeff.

Lisa then dropped her poles for the Perdiendo tribe. This was a hard challenge for Mike who had slashed the back of his hand open on some coral just the day before. _Pain is just weakness leaving the body,_ he reminded himself as the pole reopened the cuts allowing blood to flow from his hand. _Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for I am the baddest motherf**ker in the goddamn valley,_ he repeated to himself, remembering his drill instructor telling him that from his training in the military. Jenn then dropped her pole followed shortly by Juan. It was down to Peter and Mike for the Ganando tribe versus Henry and Matty for the Perdiendo tribe. Both Peter and Henry's poles had slipped to the very edge of the board. Finally with sweat dripping from his face, Henry dropped out. It looked like the Ganando tribe might win with both Peter and Mike still in, facing Matty from the Perdiendo tribe. Finally, Peter's pole slipped from the edge leaving a showdown between Mike and Matty. Despite both men giving it their all, Mike's pole slipped when the blood made the pole too slippery and fell.

"I'm sorry guys. I couldn't do it. It's all my fault. I'm such a weakling." cried Mike, nearly brought to tears.

"It's alright Mike. You did better than all of us. It was just the blood. You did awesome," comforted Peter.

The medical team then took Mike away to bandage up his hand. Pam Lee was once again chosen as the observer. Once the Ganando tribe and Pam came back to camp Pam continued to act strangely. She suggested that she and Peter go out for a fishing trip. Unbeknownst to Peter, she had told all of her tribemates all of Peter's lies. They were dead-set on putting all of their votes on Peter at the first merged tribe tribal council. _I have to make sure Peter doesn't find the idol,_ thought Pam. So Pam purposefully got them lost at sea. By the time Pam and Peter returned to camp it was too dark to look for the idol. The next morning, they had to rise early for the immunity challenge. This gave Peter no time to look for the real idol. _I guess I just won't find it,_ thought Peter as he walked to the immunity challenge.

When both tribes arrived at the immunity challenge, Jeff Probst announced,

"Drop your buffs, we're merging."

The former Ganando tribe would be living at the Perdiendo tribe's beach and all personal items were moved there. A feast would be waiting back at camp and they would have to make a new tribe name and new tribe flag. But first they would compete in their first individual immunity challenge. There would be a multi-leveled maze that each castaway would have to navigate to find 5 bags of puzzle pieces. Once they had all 5 bags of puzzle pieces they would exit their maze and solve the puzzle. The first castaway to complete the puzzle wins immunity.

Peter knew he was on the chopping block, seeing as how he was in the minority. So he worked with a sense of urgency and gained a huge lead when he had all 5 of his puzzle bags before anyone else. But the puzzle was confusing; several pieces fit in the same spot but only one pattern allowed for all the pieces to fit. He thought he had won several times, but each time one piece just wouldn't fit. This allowed Matty, Henry, and Pam to catch-up. Peter could only watch as Pam put all the pieces in the right slot on her first try, winning immunity.

Peter congratulated Pam on her immunity win but she seemed very distant. _What is wrong with her?_ thought Peter. He started to wonder what Diane was talking about when he left. But he stopped thinking about it when he remembered there was a feast waiting for him at the Perdiendo tribe. Since the Ganando tribe won no reward challenges and Peter was allergic to fish; Peter had eaten only a spoonful of rice and some coconut every day. The thought of real food excited him. The feast was delicious. Peter gorged on all different kinds of fruit, ate 4 large steaks, and drank loads of coke. But the feast was not festive at all. There was an awkward silence between the two tribes. Every time Peter spoke, no one from the Perdiendo tribe acknowledged him and nobody made eye contact with Peter. _What is going on?_ thought Peter. _I thought the merge was a new beginning._ Peter named the tribe Ettenan which he said meant "sportsmanship" in Polynesian, but it was actually his mother's name spelled backwards. _The tribe names this season are so stupid anyway,_ thought Peter, referring to the fact that the tribe names: "Ganando" and "Perdiendo" were Spanish words and Bora-Bora was in French Polynesia. _No one in French Polynesia speaks Spanish,_ he thought. Amy Chan decorated the flag and everyone wrote their names on it, but it just seemed like everyone was going through the motions.

Peter started to feel out the other tribe and talked with most of them privately, but most of them wanted to get away from Peter before he even started to talk. So Peter took time to analyze the other tribe. The men and women did not socialize together. It seemed like 2 alliances: the men on one side, and the women on the other. Michelle and Henry seemed to be the leaders of the separate alliances, but Peter knew Henry was the uneasy leader of the entire tribe. Armed with this new observation, Peter went to talk to Michelle.

"I know your tribe isn't one big happy family," hinted Peter.

"There's no denying that," confirmed Michelle.

"Do you really think that once my tribe is taken out that it's just going to be 'every man for himself?'" asked Peter.

"Of course not. If it comes down to just my tribe then it's going to be a war between the men and the women."

"Then why not just take matters into your own hands and take out their leader now; while they don't expect it. If my 4 and your 4 come together we can take out Henry right now."

"I totally agree that that needs to happen, but there is a time and a place to do that. I'm afraid it's too early for that to happen," explained Michelle.

 _At least she listened to me,_ thought Peter. Running out of options, he turned to Henry hoping to convince him that Michelle was after him. He told Henry,

"You know, now is the perfect time for a power move," explained Peter.

Henry was filled with anger.

"You are in no position to offer me anything. I don't wanna hear another word that comes out of your mouth because all I hear are lies!"

 _What is his problem? I didn't even get to the deal yet,_ thought Peter.

"I know what type of person you are. You don't deserve to be here. It is my personal goal to take you out. This is _my_ tribe and you're an unwelcome visitor," announced Henry.

Peter was so confused with everything that was going on. He went to his Pam for some answers.

"Pam, do you know what's going on? Everyone is acting like they hate me and I just got here."

"They know what you're all about. I told them what you are and what you did," explained Pam vaguely.

"And what am I, exactly?"

"You're a liar and you used me! You weren't on the outs of your tribe, you were the cult leader. Diane told me everything. "

"Pam, she was lying. She knew she was going home next so she tried to bring me down with her. She's not even in the game anymore," pleaded Peter.

"No, she wasn't. You are the one lying. And now you're going home first, I've made sure of it," announced Pam as she walked away.

 _Sh*t! Diane screwed me over!_ thought Peter. _She screwed me over for no strategic reason. Selling me out to Pam didn't save her. She just wanted to screw me over for personal reasons._ Peter didn't expect Diane to be that bitter. But there was nothing Peter could do about it. He thought the merge would bring him new life. But Peter realized that he'd started from the outs again. No one was flipping from the other tribe. Michelle was the only one who even listened to him and even she denied his deal. Tribal council got closer and closer and Peter couldn't come up with a solution. _I got 8 votes coming my way. I have no hidden immunity idols and no immunity necklace to save me. What am I going to do?_ thought Peter.

The former Perdiendo tribe met to talk strategy.

"Okay, let's clarify what we're doing. All eight of us are voting for Peter, right?" asked Henry.

"What if he has the hidden immunity idol?" asked Matty.

"I made sure he didn't find it when I was there," assured Pam.

"Then it's settled. 8 votes for Peter. Let's send that liar home."

They dispersed. Peter figured out a plan and called a meeting of his own with the Ganando tribe.

"Here's what's happening. They think I have the idol so they'll split their votes between me and one of the 3 of you to flush the idol. But Pam is in an alliance with me, so she's secretly going to vote with us against Henry which will give us a plurality."

"What's a plurality?" asked Joanne. "Is it like when you have a lot of S's? Cause S's make words plural."

"Don't worry about it. Just vote for Henry and everything will be okay."

"Okay." said Joanne. _I can trust him because he showed me the pretty necklace,_ she reminded herself.

"Who are they going to split the votes between?" asked Jenn.

"I don't know but it doesn't matter as long as Pam votes with us," assured Peter. He was really thinking, _Probably Joanne because I told Pam that she was my closest ally. That is if they split the votes._ The Perdiendo tribe splitting the votes was the only way Peter could escape. _But Pam knows that I don't have the idol._ He remembered telling Pam that he didn't find it the day after Alicia went home and he realized that Pam getting lost at sea with him was really just a way to prevent Peter from looking for the idol. But if he showed them the fake idol, they might split votes just to be safe. So minutes before tribal council, Peter wore the fake hidden immunity idol around camp as he packed his bags. He wondered, _What if they don't split the votes? What if Pam figures out that it's fake? She knows what a real hidden immunity idol looks like. What if Jenn votes against me instead of Henry? She's been itching to get rid of me since Alicia was voted off. So many things could go wrong._

Henry noticed Peter wearing the necklace and called a last minute tribe meeting.

"Do you see what he's wearing?!" exclaimed Henry.

"Yeah, everyone can see it," said Buck.

"Well, you've seen the hidden immunity idol, Pam. Is that what it looks like?" asked Matty.

"Yeah, it looks like that but-" explained Pam.

"I thought you made sure he didn't find it!" yelled Henry.

"I didn't think he did."

"Well Sh*t. We got like 5 minutes before tribal council. Do you think we should split the votes?"

Shortly afterward, the tribe headed off to their first merged tribe tribal council. As Peter walked to tribal council wearing his fake idol he thought, _My life in this game is hanging by a thread. I hope like hell that that thread is this necklace._

The members of the former Perdiendo tribe had to dip their torches into the fire because they had never been to tribal council. Jeff Probst asked about the new tribe name among other things until he asked Peter,

"Well, it's obvious that the 4 former Ganando tribe members are heavily outnumbered. Is there any hope that someone from the other tribe is going home?"

"Well I've made my pitch. They have such a large numbers advantage that it doesn't keep them safe very long even if they just pick us off one-by-one. They're gonna have to turn on each other eventually but no one seemed to even listen to me," explained Peter.

"What you're saying is; this tribe is divided by old tribal lines."

"That's what I'm saying."

"So you feel like you're in the hot seat tonight."

"Everyone in my tribe is in the hot seat tonight," replied Peter.

"I can't help but notice the necklace you're wearing. It appears to be the hidden immunity idol."

"Oh, really? I just found it in a tree at my camp and thought it was a pretty piece of jewelry I could give to my mom," replied Peter sarcastically.

"On one hand this could be a nice gesture; he's letting everyone know that he has the idol, on the other hand it could be a threat saying; don't mess with me, I got the idol."

"I'm just letting them know. They can decide what to do with the information I'm giving them."

"Henry, do you think he's gonna play it or is he just bluffing?" asked Jeff.

"I don't care. If he plays it tonight; he'll go home in 3 days. If hangs on to it; he'll be gone tonight," replied a confident Henry.

"Well it seems like everyone knows who they're voting for so let's get to it. Henry, you're up."

When it was Peter's turn to vote he said,

"You've written my name down 5 times. It's about time I write down yours."

After Jeff tallied the votes he announced,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

The entire tribe looked at Peter. He took off the idol and put it in his pocket. After a long pause Jeff said,

"I'll read the votes."

He reached into the urn and said,

"First vote-Peter."

"Peter."

"Henry. 2 votes Peter, 1 vote Henry."

"Henry. We're tied 2 votes Peter, 2 votes Henry."

"Peter. 3 votes Peter, 2 votes Henry."

"Joanne. 3 votes Peter, 2 votes Henry, 1 vote Joanne." Peter breathed a sigh of relief.

"Joanne."

"Joanne. We're tied 3 votes Joanne and 3 votes Peter. 2 votes Henry."

"Henry. 3 way tie. Peter, Joanne, and Henry all have 3 votes."

"Peter. "

"Joanne. We're tied 4 votes Peter, 4 votes Joanne, 3 votes Henry, 1 vote left."

"The 8th person voted out of Survivor Bora-Bora-Joanne. That's 5, that's enough. You'll have to bring me your torch."

Joanne got up stunned. She had no idea what was going on. _Peter said that if I voted for Henry; everything would be alright,_ she thought in confusion. Jeff snuffed her torch and said,

"Joanne, your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

Confused, Joanne started walking back to camp. Jeff had to guide her onto the walk of shame.

 **Vote**

Henry-Peter

Buck-Peter

Matty-Peter

Juan-Peter

 **4 votes Peter**

Michelle-Joanne

Amy-Joanne

Lisa-Joanne

Pam-Joanne

Peter-Joanne

 **5 votes Joanne**

Joanne-Henry

Jenn-Henry

Mike-Henry

 **3 votes Henry**

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 9

 **X-eliminated**

 **Contestants:**

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon Henry Kaider

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson **X** Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee

Alicia Brown **X** Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez **X**

Diane Baxter **X**

Jon Kelly **X**

Peter knew eliminating Joanne only delayed the inevitable, but he needed more time. Peter thought out his options. Ideally, Peter would just lay back and try not to ruffle any feathers so hopefully he lasts long enough to be an important swing vote for the gender divided factions within the former Perdiendo tribe. But Peter knew he was public enemy number 1 and he was going to be targeted first. He could not relax his guard. Peter knew the former Perdiendos would probably split the vote 5-3 between him and Mike, so he couldn't just swap his vote to Mike like he did to Joanne. He had 3 options: make a power move to eliminate one of the former Perdiendos, find the hidden immunity idol, or there was always immunity. He mulled over his 3 options. He had no convincing argument to persuade the Perdiendos to turn on each other. He knew there was a divide between the men and the women but neither the men nor the women were in the inferior position due to both sides having 4 members. _If no one felt like they were in a bad spot, there's no reason for them to flip._ That left the immunity idol or the immunity necklace. _Pam has the idol from the Perdiendo tribe's camp and until it is used, a new idol will not be hidden again,_ he reminded himself. _So immunity is my only option._

After tribal council Henry called a tribe meeting.

"What the heck happened, Henry?" asked Lisa.

"Now Peter is still in the game and he has an idol," complained Amy.

"I knew we shouldn't have split the votes," exclaimed Matty.

"Look. I know we were all expecting Peter to go home, but let's look at the result: Joanne went home and now we have an even bigger numbers advantage. We're up 8-3," said Henry

"If we all voted for Peter he would have gone home with the idol," countered Matty.

"But what if he played it? Splitting the votes was our safest option. So what if he voted for Joanne? Yeah it sent her home but it only bought him 3 more days. He's a dead man walking." explained Henry.

"Well he still has the idol. We'll have to split our votes again; he could do the same thing he just did," pointed out Pam.

"No, he couldn't. There's 8 of us and there's 3 of them. That means if 5 of us vote for Peter and 3 of us vote for Mike; Peter's gone. Because even if Peter votes for Mike; it'll still be 5 votes Peter and 4 votes Mike. Peter has to play the idol," explained Henry.

"Okay, that sounds good," agreed Michelle.

"Peter's a liar. He just proved it tonight by betraying his own tribe mate. He'll have no problem lying to one of us. People like him don't deserve to be here and he'll be gone soon. So for the time being; there's no reason to talk to him, spend time with him, eat with him, or acknowledge that he's here. For all intents and purposes; he's not a part of our society. All he'll say to you is lies anyway."

Henry had a strong feeling of who deserves to be in the game and he didn't appreciate liars or weakness. _There are so many problems with the world: mostly the people living in it,_ thought Henry. He dreamed of a small secluded world where only good people lived. That's why _Survivor_ appealed to him. He embraced the theme of "creating a new society." He wanted to make a perfect civilization where only the good, strong, and honest people lived. _All the liars and the weak will be gone, only the strong will survive,_ he reminded himself.

Michelle, along with several of the members of the Perdiendo tribe did not like the idea of completely ignoring Peter. _He's just playing the game; he's not a bad person. He doesn't deserve to be treated like an outcast,_ thought Michelle. _I want him out for strategic reasons; not personal ones._ That was one of the things about Henry that annoyed Michelle so much. _Henry's such a hard-ass about "people deserving to be here" and "strength." He doesn't think about the strategic game at all. And he's such a control freak. He wants just the honest and strong people in his "perfect society." That's why he has an all male alliance. He thinks men are stronger. It's so chauvinistic,_ thought Michelle. But she knew that if she wanted to keep her position she would need the numbers from Henry's all male faction, so she needed to follow Henry's lead.

Peter woke up and made breakfast for everyone as usual. Once everyone woke up, he was surprised when the members of the former Perdiendo tribe went to eat separately. _They're probably talking strategy,_ thought Peter. So Peter, Mike, and Jenn ate their rice together.

"Why did you leave us out of the loop on that one?" asked Jenn, referring to the fact that Peter did not inform them of the plan to blindside Joanne.

"We gave our word to her. I only needed 1 vote to get rid of her, I didn't think you guys wanted to break your word when you didn't have to."

"I like being informed," said Jenn. She then joined the former Perdiendo tribe leaving Mike and Peter alone.

"I guess it's you and me against the world," said Peter.

"I guess it is," agreed Mike.

The former Perdiendo tribe continued to shun and ignore Peter until the reward challenge. They had all gotten a small test booklet from tree mail full of questions to answer about their fellow castaways. When the Ettenan tribe arrived, Jeff Probst explained the all too revealing challenge. Each castaway would have a tile with their name on it. Hanging above the tile was a metal ball with their name on it. The ball would be hanging from a rope. Jeff Probst would ask questions from the booklet each castaway got from tree mail. The correct answer would be the name of the person most commonly answered by the tribe from the booklet. If you answered correctly, you could use your machete to chop someone's rope which held their ball. Once someone's rope had been chopped 3 times, their ball would release and break their tile; eliminating them from the competition. The last person with their tile unbroken wins reward. The reward was an advantage at the next immunity challenge.

The first question Jeff asked was,

"What castaway would you never want to see again?"

Peter knew the tribe probably answered him so he answered with his own name. He was correct and was able to chop 1 of Henry's ropes. Everyone but Mike also answered Peter (Mike answered Jenn), so Peter could only watch as he was eliminated in the first round. Mike and Jenn were eliminated next. Once it was only former Perdiendo tribe members left in the game, the men and the women went after each other. The men answered more questions correctly but the final 2 came down to Buck Warren who still had all 3 of his ropes, and Lisa who only had one. The next question was,

"Who is the most annoying?"

Buck answered Jenn, and Lisa answered Peter. Buck was correct and he won the advantage. _That challenge isn't even fair,_ thought Peter. _I didn't have a chance. They ganged up on me. I have to win immunity and that advantage would have helped._

When the Ettenan tribe returned back to camp the former Perdiendo tribe continued to alienate Peter. Only Mike stood by his side. When Peter came to eat he went to the pot to scoop some rice out for himself when Henry asked,

"What are you doing?"

"Getting some rice," replied a confused Peter.

"This rice is for my tribe."

"Your tribe? You mean the former Perdiendo tribe? This rice is a combination from both of our camps," corrected Peter.

"Not the Perdiendo tribe. This tribe is built of just people who deserve to be here. You are not a part of it. You can tell Mike he can come over."

 _I can't believe this,_ thought Peter. He looked at the other members of the former Perdiendo tribe. No one could look him in the eye.

Michelle wanted badly to stand up to Henry and defend Peter but she knew it wasn't a smart move strategically. She stayed silent.

"I guess I'll leave then," announced Peter, putting down the rice.

 _I'm not allowed to eat with them when part of what they're eating is the fish I caught for them,_ thought Peter in disgust. Peter was thinking about how wrong it was until he reminded himself, _think about it objectively; it's a good strategic move. If I can't even talk to any of them, how can I convince them to join my alliance? It's a good way to keep control of a majority._ Peter realized that he had no reason to stay at camp. He decided to take a canoe and paddle to a nearby island. Before leaving he told Mike,

"Go eat some dinner, buddy."

"What happened over there?" asked Mike.

"Oh, nothing. I'm not that hungry anyway. Don't worry about me. I'm just gonna go for a little trip to be alone for awhile. I'll be back soon."

"Alright. You better get going it's gettin' late."

Peter paddled off taking his machete and some flint. _They still have the matches,_ thought Peter, not wanting to be inconsiderate. When Peter arrived at the island he made a small shelter and a fire. He collected some coconuts by climbing a tree. All the work took him hours and by the time he was done it was dark. After drinking the juice from a coconut, he opened it and roasted its white meat. _This is better than rice anyway,_ he thought as he ate. He lay awake all night thinking about his situation. _Why does everyone hate me? Don't they understand that lying is part of the game?_ Peter thought that he'd be able to go through the game like a strategic robot. He thought he'd be able to play without emotion. But he felt genuinely hurt by his treatment from the other castaways. _It doesn't feel good to fell so unwanted._ He realized more than ever that he had to win immunity. _It's do or die time._

Peter stayed on the island by himself for another night before returning to camp. He tried to eat as many coconuts as possible on the island to stay as strong as he could. When he returned, no one acknowledged him. Luckily he didn't have to endure the alienation for long as the immunity challenge was fairly early. The immunity challenge was a test of endurance. Each castaway would hold a log with one hand by a rope with a series of knots in it. Every 5 minutes each castaway would move to a lower knot. This would continue until there were no knots left. At that point, they would hold the rope for as long as they could. The last person still holding there log wins. Since Buck won an advantage at the reward challenge, he was able to move 2 knots up at any point during the competition. Buck decided to use his advantage as soon as possible.

Lisa and Jenn fell out first with 4 knots left. Next was Juan with 3 knots left. Pam then dropped her log. At the next knot Amy fell out. The remaining 6 castaways held on until there were no knots left except for Buck who was always 2 knots ahead. Peter thought the challenge was easy as long as the knots were there. But once they had only a rope to hang onto the pain set in. He had a death grip on the rope. Peter knew he needed this immunity. Michelle dropped her log followed shortly by Matty. It came down to Henry, Buck, Mike, and Peter. Henry was sweating and his arm was shaking. When he let go of his log he told Buck,

"You got this, buddy. You can't let him win."

Peter knew he was referring to him. Peter started to worry when it didn't even look like Buck was struggling. After several minutes Mike dropped out, leaving Peter and Buck to duke it out. Peter's arm was burning and his hand was sweating but he knew he couldn't quit. _If I lose I'm dead,_ thought Peter. Peter knew he wouldn't allow himself to quit but he was worried the rope would slip out. His worries were valid when Peter momentarily lost concentration and the rope slipped an inch further. Peter was now holding the rope with only his first 3 fingers. He didn't dare try to readjust to get his whole hand on the rope. Peter looked over and Buck was struggling as well. Buck's hands were shaking and Peter could see the strain on his face. The showdown continued for what seemed like forever. Peter's fingers gradually slipped lower and lower until the rope was only between his thumb and 2 fingers. Peter knew he couldn't hold on much longer without readjusting. When he tried to readjust the rope finally fell out of his hand giving Buck immunity.

When he dropped the rope Peter tried to fight back the tears. _This is my dream. This was my only chance and I screwed it up. I wasn't good enough. My dream, the thing I put the most effort in I failed at. My best wasn't good enough._

"Peter, you're obviously emotionally shaken. What's wrong?" asked Jeff.

Peter didn't answer for fear that his voice would crack if he spoke.

"You felt like you needed this immunity, didn't you?"

Peter paused. Once he felt composed enough he said,

"I know I did."

"You think you're going home tonight?"

Remembering that the former Perdiendo tribe still thought that the idol he flaunted was real he answered,

"Either me or one of my closest allies. I failed my alliance, not just myself."

"All I can say is: anything can happen in this game. Don't count yourself out yet."

 _Yeah that's real comforting, Jeff._

When the Ettenan tribe returned to camp, Mike sat him down.

"I need to talk to you."

"Go ahead."

Mike sighed,

"Peter, I gave you my word that I'll never vote against you."

"You did."

"I am a man of my word."

"I believe that, Mike."

"But you see, you're in a position where almost everyone is voting against you. Me voting with you isn't going to accomplish anything. Unless something changes you'd still go home."

"I understand that."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is: if I vote with you, I'll be the only one who won't vote against you. That puts a big target on my back once you're gone."

"Mike-"

"Now if you say 'Mike I don't want you to vote for me,' I'll do it. I'm afraid it just won't matter. I guess I'm asking your permission to um-"

"Mike, I know I'm going down. I don't wanna bring you down with me. Do what you gotta do, buddy."

"Peter, I'm sorry," said Mike, embracing Peter.

"Don't be, buddy. You're the only one who stood by me when everyone else jumped on the bandwagon against me. I wanna see you win this for me, okay?"

"Peter, you don't deserve this. You don't deserve to be treated like this from them."

"I'm afraid I do. I'm afraid I do."

Peter paddled off to his island. He had several hours before tribal council. He wanted to enjoy his last moments in Bora-Bora, so he spent them alone. He just lay on the beach admiring the scenery.

He tried to forget about his failure in the game and tried to think of it just as a vacation. _Papa always wanted to take a vacation to Bora-Bora. I should consider myself lucky,_ thought Peter. He lay there thinking until it hit him. One last glimmer of hope; the Ganando tribe's hidden immunity idol.

He had several hours to paddle there and look privately before tribal council and he knew how to get to his old camp. _Is this a Hail Mary? Of course._ _So many things could go wrong. I might not be able to find it, I could run out of time, or more than likely; the production team just took it away once it wasn't found. But this was hope. It was better than just rolling over and accepting defeat. As long as there is still hope, I can't give up._

As Peter paddled to his own camp he thought about Mike. Again Peter thought he'd be able to play without emotion, play without any feelings towards others; play as if he were a sociopath. But Peter had become close to Mike. Mike didn't shun him like everyone else did. Even though Mike was going to vote for Peter, Peter didn't feel like it was a betrayal. _If I told him not to vote for me, he would have._ The friendship Peter had with Mike was genuine. The thought of betraying Mike was painful for Peter to think about. _Hopefully, I won't have to._

Peter reached his old camp and spent hours searching. He searched for the idol in the abandoned camp thinking the idol might have been hidden in plain sight. He looked in and around trees that stood out. He searched and dug around the tribe flag. He looked in the stream. He searched around the old tree mail, the well, the bridge, and a countless number of trees. After several hours he remembered,

 _When I was searching for the idol to prevent Diane from finding it the last place I didn't look was the mini-cave._

First Peter searched all the crevices around the cave. Still no luck. He crawled into the cave and looked around. _Where could it be?_ The ground inside the cave was sandy. _Maybe it's buried._ Peter started digging.

When Peter returned back to camp there was less than an hour before tribal council. He called a meeting and made sure everyone in the tribe was there. Before Henry started to object to Peter talking, Peter announced,

"I understand why you don't want anyone talking to me; I've lied a lot in this game. But I'm not going to speak to anyone privately. I just wanna say something to the group."

"Okay," allowed Henry.

"I understand why you all have been treating me the way you've been. I deserve it for all the lies I've told in the game. It's given me a lot of time to think and to reflect on this game. I've come to realize what this game turns you into. You start to think that this isn't reality anymore. You start to think that in this game you're allowed to do things you wouldn't do in the outside world. You're allowed to lie, cheat, and steal." He sighed.

"The things I've done; the lies I've told. I'm not proud of them. I've come to realize that I'm not proud of the person that this game has made me become. I don't want to be that person anymore, but as long as I'm in this game-I don't know what I'll be. I know I can't ask for forgiveness but I will ask for a favor. I want to go home. I want to be away from here. I can't take it anymore. I want all of you to send me home tonight. And Mike, I want to give this to you," said Peter as he handed the idol to Mike.

"You deserve it more than me and I hope it helps you in the game," he said to Mike.

"Please, please honor my wish. I want to go home," concluded Peter. He then walked off and spent the rest of the time before tribal council looking at the sky.

Henry called a meeting.

"Do you think we should split the votes 5-3 for Mike and Peter to flush Mike's idol?" asked Matty.

"And not honor Peter's wish?" asked Lisa.

"It seemed genuine," said Pam.

They came to a conclusion before the entire tribe headed off to tribal council. After asking the tribe how they were doing with the storms they'd been having and asking about theories with the hidden immunity idol, Jeff asked,

"At the immunity challenge today, Peter you were very emotional after losing. Did you feel like you needed to win that challenge?"

"Well Jeff, I knew I was on the outs."

"Because your tribe is down in numbers?"

"Yes, but me in particular. The entire tribe ignored me after last tribal."

"Why did they do that?"

"They felt I was a liar and that I didn't deserve to be there. They were right."

"What do you mean?"

"I've become a different person in this game; I've sacrificed my character. After spending some time alone I realized that I'm not willing to-to give up who I am for this game. I need to be away from here. I can't be in this game any longer. So I asked my fellow tribemates to vote me out tonight."

"So you want to quit?"

"I want to leave here, yes."

"Peter it's day 24. You have a 1 in 11 shot at winning this game. There's only 15 days left. Why quit now?"

"Jeff, there's no convincing me. I want to leave."

"I guess it's time to vote then, Peter you're up."

Once everyone was done voting and Jeff returned from tallying the votes he said,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

Everyone looked at Mike, but it was Peter who stood up.

"Jeff, I like it here; I don't feel like leavin' just yet," said Peter as he handed Jeff the idol. Pam's jaw dropped.

"The rules of _Survivor_ state that if someone plays a hidden immunity idol, then any votes cast against that person will not count and the person with the next highest number of votes will be sent home. This _is_ a hidden immunity idol. All votes cast for Peter will not count. I'll read the votes."

"First vote-Peter, does not count."

"Peter, does not count."

"Peter, does not count."

"Peter, does not count."

"Peter. That's 5 votes Peter, none of them count. Still no votes for anybody."

"Peter, does not count."

"Peter, does not count."

"Peter."

"Peter, does not count."

"Peter, that's 10 votes Peter, none of them count. No votes for anybody, 1 vote left."

"The 9th person voted out of Survivor Bora-Bora- Pam. That's 1, tonight that's enough. You'll have to bring me your torch."

A stunned Pam stood up and brought Jeff her torch. Peter was surprised she brought her bag. As Jeff snuffed her torch he said,

"Pam, your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

 **Vote**

Henry-Peter

Buck-Peter

Juan-Peter

Matty-Peter

Lisa-Peter

Pam-Peter

Michelle-Peter

Amy-Peter

Jenn-Peter

Mike-Peter

 **10 votes Peter- voided by idol**

Peter-Pam

 **1 vote Pam**

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 10

 **X-eliminated**

 **Contestants:**

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg Jon Kelly **X**

Mike Lanyon Henry Kaider

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson **X** Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee **X**

Alicia Brown **X** Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez **X**

Diane Baxter **X**

Peter was ecstatic walking back from tribal council. _I deserve a freaking Oscar for that performance,_ he congratulated himself. Peter never had any intention of quitting, he would rather die before he quit. But Peter knew that the Perdiendo tribe was going to split the votes because they thought he had an idol (because he wore his fake one the previous tribal council). Peter would still have had to play the idol but if he did Mike would have been sent home. Peter's whole scheme to act like he was quitting and to hand Mike the idol (which was his fake one) was just to convince the former Perdiendo tribe not to split the votes. If they split the votes; one of his allies would have gone home. Since everyone unanimously voted for Peter, his sole vote for Pam sent her home. He needed to eliminate Pam because she had the other idol. With both idols gone, he had a chance to find the new one.

But Peter's happiness subsided. He had his work cut out for him: he still had a 7-3 deficit to overcome, he had to get the trust of his allies back, he had to get his fake idol back from Mike (who still thought it was real), most importantly; now was the time to make his power move. He called Jenn and Mike over for a meeting. Jenn was looking at him quizzically.

"Look, I'm gonna explain. The idol I gave you, Mike, was the one from this camp (They didn't know Pam had the idol from the Perdiendo tribe), the idol I used at tribal tonight was the one at the old Ganando tribe. I paddled over there and searched for hours."

"What about the whole quitting thing?" asked Mike.

"I had to pretend like I was quitting so they'd think my head wasn't in the game anymore. I gave you the idol so they didn't think they had to split the vote. Their plan was to split the vote 5-3 between me and you. Therefore if I played the idol you would have gone home Mike. That whole speech about quitting was to save you."

"Why don't you tell us about these plans?!" asked Jenn.

"I should have told you because I trust the both of you. I don't know- I'm just hesitant about revealing my plans."

"Peter, I wanna say I'm sorry for voting for-" started Mike.

"Mike, it's not a problem. We 3 are on the outs. The only way we're gonna make it is if we stick together. I know I've seemingly betrayed a lot of people but I told you guys on day 6 that it was us three to the final 3 and I've never put down either of your names."

"That's true," realized Jenn.

"I know it seems like us against the world but don't worry I gotta plan."

"Are you gonna tell us this one?" asked Jenn sarcastically.

"Alright. The former Perdiendo tribe merged with us with 8 members. But if you analyze the tribe there are two sub-alliances within it. There were the 4 men versus the 4 women; Henry was the leader of the men and Michelle was the leader of the women. I recognized this when we first merged but no one was willing to turn on each other because they had equal numbers. But now that Pam's gone, the men have the advantage 4 to 3. So we go to the 3 women and the 6 of us vote for Henry."

"That's genius," said Jenn.

"But I have to create a lot of distrust between Michelle and Henry first."

"You know the idol I gave you Mike?" (Which no one knows is fake)

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna plant that idol in Henry's bag and show Michelle."

"So you need it?"

"Yeah."

Mike handed over the fake idol and the three chatted for awhile by the fire.

Meanwhile the Perdiendo tribe had their own meeting.

"What just happened?" wondered Lisa.

"I thought Peter gave up his idol to Mike," said Amy.

"I thought so too," said Henry.

"We should've just split the votes," said Matty.

"Yeah, but how did he get that idol?" asked Michelle.

"Mike probably handed it off to him," explained Matty.

"We've been going about this the wrong way. We can't ignore him. We have to keep an eye on him at all times to make sure he doesn't find the idol. He's shown how persuasive he can be, let's try to avoid talking to him as much as possible." ordered Henry.

"You know what; all that idol does is create division within us. I say nobody gets it. In fact whoever has the idol goes home," added Henry.

Michelle didn't like Henry barking orders. She didn't like Henry in general, but she knew not to make any waves and she along with the rest of her tribe said they agreed to Henry's proposition.

When Peter woke up the next morning and ate breakfast he was surprised when the former Perdiendo tribe members allowed him to sit with them. _Maybe they feel guilty about alienating me,_ thought Peter. But when he tried to talk to them, they gave short answers to discourage conversation or ignored him altogether. _That's weird._ Peter got up to search for the new hidden immunity idol, but when he got up Matty and Buck followed him. Whenever he tried to go somewhere alone that wasn't the shelter he was followed by someone from the Perdiendo tribe. Peter realized what was going on. _They're trying to keep me from finding the hidden immunity idol._ Peter applauded the move. It was a tactic he had employed in the game and it was a good way to keep control of an alliance, but it was very annoying when you were on the receiving end. But what was peculiar was although they weren't letting him find it; it didn't appear like anyone else was trying to find it. Peter realized, _Henry made a taboo against the idol._

Peter didn't need the idol to initiate his plan. In fact he could use Henry's move against him. He just needed some time alone with Michelle. But he wouldn't get it as the tribe had to head off to their reward challenge.

The ten castaways were randomly split into 2 teams of 5. It was Henry, Buck, Lisa, Amy, and Juan versus Michelle, Matty, Peter, Mike, and Jenn. Peter was very happy with the teams. He had Michelle on his team away from Henry; this gave him a perfect opportunity to talk to her alone. But he knew he had to throw the challenge to initiate his plan. The challenge was an easy one to throw. 1 member from each team would be the defender while the other for members would be the throwers. Each round a thrower would try to leap and throw a ball into their large net while the defender from the opposing tribe standing on a wooden perch would try to block it. Each ball that landed in the net was worth one point. The first team to score 10 points won a helicopter ride to a remote Tahitian island where they would have their own bed & breakfast. Peter stepped up as defender to ensure that his team lost. Buck was the defender from the other team and blocked almost every ball. Peter blocked several shots but always made sure the other team had a lead so no one knew he was throwing the challenge. In the end the other team won 10-8.

Peter got back to camp shortly before everyone else and put his fake hidden immunity idol in Henry's bag which was hanging from a bamboo stick that was protruding from the roof of the shelter. He moved Henry's bag closer to the edge of the stick so it would slip easily.

The rest of the team soon shuffled into camp. Peter waited for him and Michelle to be alone. His opportunity came when Matty and Amy went spear fishing. Michelle was laying down in the shelter and Peter was standing up leaning on the wooden pole that supported the shelter closest to Henry's bag.

"Hey I just uh- wanted to apologize. That whole charade there with me talking about quitting and giving Mike the idol was all an act. I don't like lying but I didn't really have too many options," explained Peter.

"Don't worry about it; it's all part of the game. But I was just wondering; how did you play the idol if you gave it to Mike?"

"Oh, he just handed it to me while we were walking to tribal council. We had to do it that way because if I went and talked with him alone before tribal people would have gotten suspicious."

"That's what I assumed."

"Well, that's all I wanted to talk about," said Peter. He released his weight from the shelter. He had been leaning on it hard and the sudden release of pressure caused the wooden pole to move ever so slightly, but it was enough to drop Henry's bag. When the bag dropped Peter's planted hidden immunity idol popped out along with some of Henry's personal items.

"Holy Sh*t! Is that what I think it is?"' asked Michelle, noticing the idol.

"I think that's the idol," said Peter.

"Oh my God; I think that's Henry's bag. Why didn't he tell me about it?" Michelle wondered out loud.

"I don't know maybe he just found it. You could ask him about it," hinted Peter.

"Yeah, I will."

"That makes him much more dangerous."

The two put the idol back in Henry's bag and hung the bag again. Peter knew showing Michelle that Henry had the idol would cause Michelle not to trust Henry. By getting Michelle to confront Henry about the idol solidified that distrust because Henry would deny that he had the idol (since he actually didn't have it). Michelle would think he was lying because she just saw what she thought was the idol in his bag. But Peter would knew he would need his fake idol in the future so once Michelle left the shelter he quickly took back his fake idol and hid it.

Michelle started to wonder. _Why didn't Henry tell me about the idol?_ Then it all clicked; _that's why he made this whole taboo against the idol; he didn't want anybody to think he had it. While we were all forbidden to go looking for it, he had all the time in the world to search. I never trusted him._

When the winning team came back from the reward Jenn couldn't stop talking about how great it was, which angered everyone (If you haven't noticed; not a lot of people like Jenn). But once she finally finished Peter saw Michelle walk off with Henry. He knew what they were going to talk about.

"Hey I just wanted to talk to you about our plans for the next tribal council," started Michelle,

"We're all voting for Peter. That's what we settled on."

"So we're not splitting the votes?" asked Michelle.

"Why would we?"

"I don't know what if Peter found the idol?"

"Peter doesn't have it," claimed Henry.

 _I wonder why he's so sure,_ thought Michelle.

"How do you know? Do you have it?" asked Michelle suspiciously.

"No!" responded Jack, flabbergasted. "That's what this whole plan was about; not to let him find it."

 _He just lied. I was hoping he'd at least admit he had the idol. I can't trust him,_ concluded Michelle.

"I was just wondering."

"Would you stop freaking out?! Just stick to the plan," ordered Henry.

Peter saw as Henry and Michelle walked back to camp. Henry was visibly fuming. Peter knew Michelle had asked him about the idol and he denied it. Shortly after they got back Peter went to have a talk with Henry. He didn't intend on actually talking about the game but he needed to stage a conversation.

"So Henry, I know we got off on the wrong foot but I wanted to kind of have a do-over."

"I don't want to 'do-over' anything. You're a liar and I treated you exactly how you exactly how I should've."

"I'm just trying to make some peace here."

"There is no peace to be had between us. I don't want you here. This is my tribe. You have no place in it. Only good honest people are in my tribe. You and all liars like you will be gone soon."

"You play the game differently than me; I get it. Maybe you don't wanna lie but don't say I'm not a good person. You gotta separate the game from the outside world."

"There is a difference between the game and the outside world: in the outside world I can't eliminate liars like you no matter how much I want to. In this game I can."

"You don't wanna start this war, buddy."

"Yeah I do. Right now we're even. It's good (pointing at himself) versus evil (pointing at Peter), we'll see who wins."

 _He'll regret that,_ thought Peter. _That self-righteous arrogant prick._ Peter knew it was himversus Henry and Peter was determined to win.

Peter calmed himself before talking to Michelle. They walked out along the beach. Once they were far enough away they sat down.

"Michelle, this is serious. I just talked to Henry."

"What about?"

"Well I was just there to kinda reconcile cause' you know we got off on the wrong foot."

"Uh-huh."

"But he's all frazzled and he tells me that he can't trust you anymore."

"Me?'

"Yeah."

"Oh my God; it's cause' I asked him about having the idol."

"Did he admit it?"

"No."

"And then he tells me that me and the other Ganandos to vote for you along with the men (referring to the alliance of the 4 men of the Perdiendo tribe). "

"Holy Sh*t," exclaimed Michelle.

"But then I realized that he probably told you and your 3 (the alliance of the 3 women of the Perdiendo tribe) to vote for me."

"He did."

"He's lying to one of us, but who?" asked Peter.

"I don't know."

"We can't trust him; he lied about the idol and now this," concluded Peter.

Peter left and let the paranoia get to her. Later in the day he talked to her again while they were fishing.

"We gotta take him out. Now's the perfect time to do it; he'll never see it coming. We'll flush the idol and he'll be gone. This is our only chance to do it, if we don't either you or me is gone."

"Yeah, but how?

"If my 3 (Mike, Jenn, and Peter) and your 3 (the 3 Perdiendo women) vote for him that's 6 that's all we need. "

"I don't know it's risky."

"If we don't make this move you could go home; that's riskier. Right now his 4 has all the power. They get to choose who goes home and they're set up to go to the final 4."

"Okay, let me think about it."

Peter knew Michelle was on the verge of flipping but he had to be patient. He couldn't force her to vote with him. But with Michelle still on the fence and Henry keeping him from finding the idol Peter knew the immunity challenge was huge.

The challenge tested how well you could remain calm under stressful situations. Each castaway would be in the water and under a metal grate. As the tide rises they would have less room to breathe. If you gave up and came up for air away from the grate you were out. The last castaway still under the grate would win immunity.

For the first 30 minutes no one had to really stuff their face in the grate yet but after 1 hour the water was high enough to where you had to but the water hadn't started to come over the grate yet. Even though the water hadn't reached their mouths yet Lisa and Juan opted out. Soon enough the water started to get into people's mouths and everyone was forced to spit it out, breathe, and spit it out, over and over again. Buck, Jenn, and Amy gave up within minutes of each other. It was down to 5: Peter, Mike, Matty, Henry, and Michelle. Everyone but Mike tried to make a snorkel with their hands and it cost him as Mike was out next. Water kept getting into Michelle's snorkel and she was next. It came down to Peter, Henry, and Matty. Matty wasn't worried at all. He was very comfortable in the water. He wasn't panicking when the water had completely submerged his face and only his snorkel was above water. _Even if there wasn't any air left I'd be fine,_ thought Matty. He had amazing lungs; he could hold his breath for 8 minutes. He had to learn to keep calm underwater because he was a big wave surfer and was often held underwater by waves for minutes.

Peter on the other hand started to panic. He couldn't hear anything, only his hand snorkel was above water. He knew if his hands let in just a little water it was too late to readjust. But his snorkel stayed tight. He knew how much he needed this immunity. Every part of him was telling him to bail but he had to fight the panic. He draped his legs above the grate to allow release the strain from his neck.

Henry was panicking but he desperately wanted to beat Peter. _I have to show him that evil always loses,_ thought Henry. But his hands moved slightly allowing water into his snorkel. With no way to fix it he had to opt out of the challenge.

The tide kept rising and soon water started to get in through the breathing made by the top of their hand snorkels. Both men had to spit out the water constantly. Matty bailed first and held his breath under water. Peter used his snorkel for as long as he could but it eventually became submerged as well. It had now been hours into the competition. When Peter went underwater he saw that Matty was his only competitor and they were both forced to hold their breath. Peter tried not to move, relax, and hold his breath. Both men held their breath for several minutes. Peter's lungs were burning begging him to go up for air. He started to tremble. He tried to fight longer. Matty had been underwater for 8 minutes while Peter was under for five. Matty started to tremble as well. But Peter started to go faint and he came up for air seconds before Matty. Matty won individual immunity. Therefore with Henry keeping him from the real hidden immunity idol Peter's last hope was Michelle's women's alliance flipping.

The challenge went for a long time. When the Ettenan tribe got back to camp there was only a couple hours before tribal council. Michelle came to talk to Peter.

"I'm really not sure about this, Peter."

"We got to."

"But what if he plays the idol, then I could go home."

"If you don't make this move then either you or me go home anyway. And he's not gonna play the idol he thinks he has all the power right now; he thinks he can choose who goes home. He's not even packing."

"That's true. I don't know. It's just if he's telling me the truth then I'm in a pretty good spot if I don't flip."

"What, telling you the truth about me going home instead of you? But see you don't know that; he could just as easily be lying to you and telling me the truth about you going home. He's lied to you before."

"Yeah."

"And you wouldn't be in a great spot even if I do go home tonight cause' once he gets to the final 7 he's gonna take his 4 guys to the final 4. "

"Oh yeah, them 4 guys have been tight since way before the merge."

"So we gotta take him out. Can you agree to that?"

"Okay I'll go get Lisa and Amy."

With minutes before tribal council the 6 of them met.

"Alright, this is what's going to happen: the 6 of us are gonna take the power in this game. We're gonna overthrow Henry and we're voting for him tonight. All 6 of us," announced Peter.

"I told them about the lies he told me," informed Michelle.

"Alright so we know what's gonna happen tonight. We all write down Henry's name."

Everyone nodded but Peter could tell Lisa wasn't on board. Peter was worried that she'd vote with Henry against Peter and force a tie. When the 6 dispersed and everyone was getting ready for tribal he took Lisa aside.

"I could tell you don't wanna vote for Henry."

"He made me promise that I'd never turn against him, I don't wanna break my word," said Lisa.

"I understand. I'll get the others to vote for Juan. Is that okay?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, then give me your word that you're voting Juan tonight."

"I give you my word."

"Alright."

Peter knew Lisa wouldn't lie. But Michelle was still contemplating her vote. If she thought Henry would play the idol she decided that she'd swap her vote to Peter.

As the Ettenan tribe headed off to tribal council Peter was hoping his plan would work and he could take out Henry; who decided to leave his bag at camp. _It would be so sweet to send him home when he didn't even pack._

When the Ettenan tribe arrived at tribal council, Jeff asked Peter,

"Peter, you played an idol last night at tribal council. Is there a consensus on if a new one was hidden or who has it?"

"Well, I think most people assume that a new idol was hidden and there are some theories on who, if anyone has it," responded Peter. _The key to tribal council answers is ambiguity._

"I'll clear that up, Jeff. No one has it. I made sure no one from Peter's tribe found it and no one from my tribe looking for it," Henry announced.

"Henry, in a game for a million bucks where a hidden immunity idol is a powerful tool why wouldn't you look for it?"

"It just causes dissent within my tribe. People stop trusting each other. My job is to make sure there is trust within my tribe. If someone is untrustworthy; they're gone. If something causes distrust; it's gone."

Henry's answered worried Michelle. " _If someone is untrustworthy; they're gone" sounds like he's targeting me,_ thought Michelle.

"Henry, I notice you're saying _my_ tribe. What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I'm the leader and anyone who's strong and trustworthy can be a part of my tribe."

"Michelle, does it concern you that Henry is calling himself the leader?"

"No it doesn't worry me. He is the leader," said Michelle, trying not to alarm Henry so he plays the idol.

"Well, Henry I guess you are the leader. Peter, last tribal council was a unanimous vote against you. How do you trust anyone when every person here voted for you?"

"Well, I don't have any options. I have to trust somebody. I have to believe that some people are gonna do what they say they're gonna do."

"Matty, do you feel like you needed the immunity you won? You fought very hard for it."

"I don't feel like I was going home tonight but you know Peter's pulled a lot of rabbits out of his hat so you never know."

"So you're implying that Peter is the one going home tonight."

"Hopefully."

"Peter, how do you feel? Do you think you're going home tonight?"

"Well Jeff, um- I packed my bags. If I go home I won't be surprised but I didn't lay down and die. I think I got a little hope."

"Well with a bit of uncertainty surrounding this vote, I'm sure this will bring some closure. Ity is time to vote. Mike, you're up."

When Henry got up to vote he wrote down Peter's name and said,

"Peter you don't deserve to be here. Good always wins in the end."

When Peter got up to vote he wrote down Henry's name and said,

"Henry, I think this is good vs. evil but I think you're on the wrong side. Sorry but the 'perfect world' you've been talking about doesn't have you in it. Night, Night."

When Jeff returned with the votes he said,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

Michelle looked at Henry but he didn't know why.

After a pause Jeff said,

"I'll read the votes."

"First vote-Peter."

"Peter."

"Juan."

"Henry. That's 2 votes Peter, 1 vote Juan, 1 vote Henry."

"Henry."

"Henry. 3 votes Henry, 2 votes Peter, 1 vote Juan."

"Peter. We're tied 3 votes Peter, 3 votes Henry."

"Peter. 4 votes Peter, 3 votes Henry." Henry smiled. _Good will always prevail._ Peter held his breath.

"Henry. 4 votes Peter, 4 votes Henry, 1 vote left." Henry was shocked to see the 4th vote.

"The 10th person voted out of Survivor Bora-Bora-Henry. Henry that's 5, that's enough. You'll have to bring me your torch."

Henry stood up shocked. He wasn't expecting to be voted out and stumbled on his way to his torch. He was still processing the information as Jeff snuffed and said,

"Henry, your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

Then Henry realized who orchestrated his departure. He turned to Peter and said,

"You're evil! You're a snake. You don't deserve to be here, you're not supposed to be here. Liars like you shouldn't be here. It was supposed to be the good people." Henry turned hysterical and it became difficult to hear what he was saying.

"Everyone get rid of him. He doesn't deserve to be here." He turned back to Peter,

"People like you-People like you. People like you don't deserve to-"

The last word was barely audible but Peter knew what it was. The last word was "live." Henry took his "perfect society" seriously. This wasn't a game for him. Every lie was just a lie. There was no "It's just a game" for Henry. He truly wanted to "eliminate" all liars or people he thought were the "scum of the Earth." Henry didn't leave. Jeff Probst had to repeat,

"Henry, it's time for you to _go,"_ he said sternly. And Henry finally left.

 **Vote**

Lisa-Juan

 **1 vote Juan**

Henry-Peter

Buck-Peter

Matty-Peter

Juan-Peter

 **4 votes Peter**

Michelle-Henry

Amy-Henry

Mike-Henry

Jenn-Henry

Peter-Henry

 **5 votes Henry**

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 11

X-eliminated

Contestants:

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon Henry Kaider **X**

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson **X** Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee **X**

Alicia Brown **X** Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez **X**

Diane Baxter **X**

Jon Kelly **X**

Walking back from tribal council, Matty was very worried. _Peter was supposed to go home tonight, something happened,_ he thought. Matty didn't like voting in the minority, he was eager to find a majority alliance immediately. _I don't care who I'm aligned with; just as long as I'm in the majority._

Buck and Juan were angry that Henry left. He was one of their closest allies and promised to take them to the final 4. He was their leader. Buck told Juan as they were walking back to camp,

"Henry didn't deserve that; he was strong. He deserves to be here."

"Who do you think sent him packing?" asked Juan.

"My guess is the girls. Michelle never liked Henry being leader. She always wanted to be the leader. She probably jumped on the chance to take him out."

Lisa was confused walking back to camp as well. _I thought Juan was supposed to go tonight; that's what Peter said,_ she thought. She confronted Peter when they got back to camp.

"What happened? I thought you said Juan was going?"

"I know, it's just I didn't have enough time before tribal council to change the plan," explained Peter, lying once again.

"Oh, well next time don't come up to me with a plan if you can't make it happen."

"Alright, I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?" asked Peter with a smile.

"Yeah, I forgive you."

"You gotta trust me if we're going to the top 6," said Peter grinning.

"I do."

"Alright let's go talk to the rest."

Peter, Mike, Jenn, Michelle, Amy, and Lisa all met.

"Do y'all realize what just happened? This was Henry's game to lose. Now we're in power. Let's just solidify this; us 6 to the final 6," announced Peter.

"I like the sound of that," agreed Amy.

"Let's do exactly what they were gonna do to us. Let's pick em' off one-by-one," said Peter.

Everyone agreed. Soon everyone started piling into bed. Peter and Jenn were the last two by the fire.

"Is that serious? Are we actually going to the top 6 with them?" asked Jenn.

"Hell, yeah if we can. This is our first majority alliance since the merge. If we can stick with it we should," responded Peter.

"So top 6?"

"We got guaranteed top 6 right now, if we can take out a few of them before that then we will, but as it stands now it's top 6."

"And this is a legit alliance not a decoy?"

"Legit alliance."

"Okay."

And for the first time in several days Peter went to bed comfortable thinking he wouldn't have to scramble the next morning. He felt he took a lot of risks to take out Henry but it paid off. _I took out my biggest threat and rival, I went from an outcast to a majority alliance, and I made the jury stage,_ thought Peter.

Meanwhile Jenn's mind was spinning. I'm in a majority alliance now but does anyone trust me? It seems like the alliance was made hastily. I haven't talked or bonded with Michelle, Amy, or Lisa. It seems like Peter is the only one who has connections with them. I have to build trust with them and I have to make them trust me more than them. The best way to build trust is through honesty, concluded Jenn.

Buck felt worried while he lay in bed. Henry; his closest ally had just been voted out. _They're probably coming after me next,_ he thought. Buck wanted some security.

When the tribe woke up they were delighted to see that several of the chickens laid eggs. The entire tribe ate a filling meal of rice and eggs. Buck finished eating before everyone else and announced that he would go retrieve tree mail. With everyone else still eating he was able to go alone. When Buck arrived at tree mail he did indeed retrieve the mail but he did a quick check of the tree mail idol. Amazingly, Buck realized there was a hole at the bottom of the idol. The hole was just big enough to fit his large hand into. When he reached up he pulled up the hidden immunity idol.

"Hot dog! I found the dern thang," he exclaimed excitedly.

Knowing that everyone would notice a bulge in his pocket and realize what it was; Buck hid the idol in his hat and hurried back to camp. Once the tribe started to disperse, Jenn decided to talk to Michelle to gain some trust.

"Since we're in an alliance now, I think we should be truthful with each other," started Jenn.

"I agree."

"I think the best way to gain trust is through honesty."

"Honesty is important."

"So from now on, complete and total honesty between us."

"From now on? Are you saying that you've lied to me before?"

"No, not me. But I knew about I lie and I went with it," said Jenn.

"Well, what was it?" asked Michelle impatiently.

"Well, you know how you thought Henry had the idol."

"Yeah, I know it for a fact. I saw it in his freaking bag."

"That's because Peter planted in there so you'd vote for him. It wasn't Henry's."

The news angered Michelle; she did not like being played, but she was able to appreciate the cunning Peter used to convince her to vote off his biggest threat. The Peter fact that Peter lied to her so smoothly showed how big of a strategic threat he was. Finding a new alliance and getting him out were her biggest priorities, but before she did that Michelle tried to suck a little more information out of Jenn.

"So Peter has the idol?"

"Yes, but it's everyone's idol. He'll use it on anyone from the alliance if they're in trouble."

"That's good to know."

"Look Michelle, I'm sorry for not telling you about this sooner but now that we're in an alliance I'll be completely truthful."

"Okay."

Yeah, right. How stupid of her to tell me! I was only in an alliance with them to take out the remainder of the Perdiendo boys; now that Peter's my biggest threat I have no reason to be in an alliance with him or Jenn, thought Michelle as she headed over to Matty, Buck, and Juan.

Yes, now she trusts me! I always knew that the best way to earn quick trust was to tell someone a big secret. What's so good about this secret is: it still makes her trust me but now she doesn't trust Peter. That puts me in the best position, thought Jenn.

Michelle started talking to Matty, Buck, and Juan about a new alliance.

"I know Henry's departure hurt you guys and it leaves you in the minority…" started Michelle.

"Based on the votes it's us 3 versus everybody," explained Matty.

"I know."

"I thought it was the old Perdiendo tribe to the end," explained a hurt Buck.

"I get it, I'm sorry for flipping but I was tricked," explained Michelle.

"By who?" asked Juan.

"Peter; he lied to me. He told me that Henry was coming after me and I got scared so I flipped."

"Henry warned you not to trust him," reminded Buck.

"I know, I'm sorry, but there's still a way to fix all this. We all; the 6 old Perdiendos can come back together and take him and them out."

It was music to Matty's ears. He felt so uncomfortable not in the majority; the security of a major alliance gave him comfort. He was totally on board.

"Yeah, we earned this. The Perdiendo tribe earned this; let's take this to the end," agreed Matty.

Meanwhile Peter and Mike had been fishing. Peter was in the water with the spear while Mike was in the boat. Peter came up with a good sized fish.

"You know when I was younger I hated spear fishing," confessed Peter.

"Why?" asked Mike.

"I could never catch a fish."

"Well you've caught like 10 already; I don't know why you wouldn't be able to catch one."

"Every time I'd go down I felt like my lungs would explode, I couldn't keep the band stretched long enough, I don't know I just couldn't do it."

"Well you can catch loads of fish now."

"Yeah, I think that's cause' the water is crystal clear, it's nice and warm, I don't have to wear a wetsuit, and there's fish everywhere."

"That probably helps."

By then Peter had climbed back into the boat.

"Well, let's head back to camp."

Peter was eager to get back to camp to look for the idol. Since Henry was gone no one was stopping him from looking. Peter knew there was a new idol out there since Pam was voted out with it. But Peter wondered if anyone had found it yet. He knew no one was looking for it while Henry was still in the game but that morning he noticed Buck stick his hat in his bag and then put it back on. _Why would anyone put a hat in their bag and then decide to put it back on again?_ Peter came to the conclusion that Buck had found the hidden immunity idol, hid it in his hat, and dropped it into his bag. To make sure Peter wanted to check Buck's bag.

When Peter and Mike returned from fishing Michelle, Buck, Juan, and Matty were still talking. Mike sat down to gut the fish and Peter went to go get a couple knives. When Peter arrived in the shelter no one was around so he quickly took a peek in Buck's bag. There was the hidden immunity idol still wrapped in the cloth. _That's so stupid,_ thought Peter. _You're not supposed to put the idol in your bag because everyone is allowed to search bags. That's why everyone hides the idol somewhere in the forest._ Now that Peter knew Buck had the idol there was no point in looking for it, but Buck became Peter's primary target.

Peter and Mike gutted the fish and chit-chatted. Peter and Mike were becoming good friends. Mike was the one person who had never turned his back on Peter. When they were finished they had to head off to the reward challenge.

The challenge was simple: crack coconuts open to release their water and pour the water into your tube. The first person to fill their tube up high enough would win a snorkeling excursion along with a huge lunch of hamburgers, French fries, pizza, soda, and plenty of sweets. Peter knew reward challenges were tricky because you always had to pick people to go with you and people were mad when you got back but Peter couldn't help it. He wanted to win.

Peter jumped into an early lead. He had a good rhythm going. He would shake the coconuts so he only got the full ones and then he would make a small crack on the top to act as a funnel so all the juice flowed easily into his tube. Buck and Matty were close behind. Buck would be in the lead because he cracked the coconuts easier than anyone else but he just took a random one and smashed it; which allowed for much of the juice to get away. Peter pulled away and won his first challenge. Jeff of course informed him that he would have to choose one person to go with him. Peter badly wanted to take Mike but he knew he had to secure his alliance with Michelle (he was unaware that Jenn had ruined that alliance) and chose her. But Jeff then allowed him to take one more person with him and Peter couldn't help but choose Mike. _Mike deserves it,_ thought Peter.

Mike thanked him and the 3 of them headed off to the snorkeling trip. They loaded onto a small boat and got their flippers, snorkels, and masks on. Peter enjoyed looking down at the peaceful schools of fish and the occasional turtle. It was a nice getaway from the game. He intended to use the reward for strategic purposes; to curry favor with Michelle and cement their alliance but at that point they couldn't talk because they were in the water.

Once the snorkeling was over the three were taken back to a beach and were served their delicious and unhealthy lunch. Peter and Mike gorged on the food. Peter was full very quickly but Mike kept eating,

"What's the matter; you can't eat it cause' you don't have your chopsticks?" joked Mike referring to Peter being Asian.

"Shut up, at least I can see my food," Peter joked back.

"You're an asshole," responded Mike laughing.

The two joked and ate and were having a great time but Peter noticed Michelle was being very distant. She hadn't said a word of thanks to Peter for taking her on the reward, she wouldn't talk to him about the game, she hadn't said a word to him on the whole trip. She wouldn't meet Peter's gaze. So Peter asked her,

"Is there something wrong Michelle?"

"Yeah, well I guess there's no sense in keeping it a secret," responded Michelle.

I hate it when people do that; say something so ambiguous that you have to ask another question, thought Peter.

"Keep what a secret?" Peter played along.

"Jenn told me about what you did."

There she just did it again, he thought.

"Can you cut to the chase?" asked Peter, trying not to sound irritated.

"I can't trust you; you framed Henry with that idol."

 _Lie and Deny,_ thought Peter instinctively.

"I didn't frame anybody. What are you talking about?"

"You put the idol in Henry's bag so I wouldn't trust him and so I'd vote for him. You tricked me; Jenn told me everything."

"She's lying; I don't know why she'd say that."

"Right now, I believe her over you."

"So what does that mean?"

"That means I can't trust you."

"Michelle, come on."

"It's nothing personal, it's just the game, thanks for the reward."

Peter was worried. _She probably has a new alliance if she's willing to tell me that she doesn't trust me,_ concluded Peter. He realized what happened; the former Perdiendo tribe reunited. When the 3 returned from the reward Peter was furious at Jenn. He immediately wanted to have a talk with her.

"What were you thinking?!"

"What do you mean?" Jenn asked innocently.

"You threw me under the bus telling Michelle about Henry's idol!"

"I was just telling her the truth."

"This is why I can't let you in on my plans; you ruin them!"

"Peter I'm sorry."

Peter composed himself. Jenn and Mike were his only allies; he had to keep them as loyal as possible.

"I was just trying to gain trust," explained Jenn.

"Jenn, telling people the truth cements trust when an alliance is built upon loyalty and honesty. But when an entire alliance and trust is built from the foundation of intricate lies and fabricated stories; exposing those lies through honesty will not build trust, it will dismantle it by destroying the foundation of which the trust was built to begin with."

"What?" asked Jenn stupidly.

"If you start off lying to someone then you have to keep lying," simplified Peter.

"Okay."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you. We have to stick together now. We don't have a choice; the Perdiendo tribe is back together."

"How do you know?"

"Because I do," explained Peter.

With the old Perdiendo tribe back together and Michelle's anger at him still fresh; Peter knew he would be their first target, therefore he would need to have immunity to stay alive. He accepted the fact that either he or one of his allies was going home. He thought he should tell Mike.

"Our whole majority alliance is gone."

"Why? What happened?"

"Jenn told Michelle about how I engineered Henry going home so Michelle got mad and made a new alliance with the old Perdiendos."

"Why would Jenn do that?"

"She was being stupid, but it doesn't matter; we're on the outs again."

"Damn it."

"Jenn also told them I have the idol, so they're probably gonna split the votes between you and me."

"Sh*t, I have to win immunity because you have the idol."

"Or I could win immunity and hand you the idol."

"Yeah we could do that."

"I just thought you should know."

"Thanks, Peter."

The immunity challenge was simple. Each castaway would be standing on a wooden perch with a bucket attached to a rope. They would have to drop their bucket into the water and bring it up to pour the water into a tube containing a flag. The water would cause the flag to rise. Once the flag was close enough the castaways would have to try to grab it. The first person to grab their flag would win immunity.

Peter knew he had to win and started off well. He would drop his bucket into the water, bring it up, and once he had the bucket he would lean it against his perch and slowly pour the water into the tube. He made sure to go slowly so the water made a nice stream into the tube instead of splashing everywhere. Inexplicably, Jenn fell off her perch and was eliminated. After several minutes it was clear that the competition was between Peter, Mike, and Matty. Buck was having trouble; he would just dump out all his water in the general direction of the tube. Amy, Lisa, and Michelle were all struggling. Lisa couldn't figure out how to get enough water in her bucket. Amy and Michelle couldn't get the water to go into the tube. Juan realized early on that he wasn't going to win the challenge and stopped trying. Mike, Matty, and Peter were all inches away from retrieving their flag. They were all about even. Matty tried to grab his flag but was short about an inch and lost precious time. Both Mike and Peter needed less than another bucket of water to grab the flag. They dropped their buckets and retrieved them at the same time. They poured their buckets at the same time. Mike knew he wouldn't need to pour out his whole bucket into the tube to retrieve the flag and he knew Peter was close. In order to save time, before pouring out all of his water Mike made a go at the flag. His gamble paid off and he was able to retrieve the flag and win immunity. Peter poured out all the water in his bucket seconds later and retrieved his flag but it was all for naught; Mike won immunity.

Peter congratulated Mike on his win but he was envious. Peter didn't have a real hidden immunity idol to save himself. His only options were to win immunity or pull a power move.

Michelle had taken the leadership position within her new alliance of the reunited Perdiendo 6. She called a meeting so everyone knew who to vote for.

"Okay guys I'm pretty sure Peter has the idol," informed Michelle.

Buck laughed silently. S _ure Peter has the idol. It's not like I have it already, she's such a liar,_ thought Buck. But he kept his possession of the idol secret. He disliked Michelle; he thought she was power-hungry and she and Peter were responsible for Henry's elimination. Buck didn't think either one deserved to be there. He and Juan felt the same way; they both wanted Michelle gone and were very cold towards her but they knew the smart decision was to stick with her at that time.

Jenn was nervous. How could I be so stupid? Peter's right; since I sold him out to Michelle, Michelle probably made a new alliance with the old Perdiendo tribe. But she'll probably target him first, she thought. She remembered that she told Michelle that Peter has the idol. _That means they're gonna split the votes between me and Peter to flush it,_ she realized. She went to talk to Michelle.

"Can you be honest with me?" asked Jenn.

"Of course," answered Michelle.

"Are you still in an alliance with me?"

"Yes."

"Are you in an alliance with Buck, Matty, and Juan?"

"Yes, but that doesn't change our allegiance to each other. I'm just with them to vote out Peter because you told me that he couldn't be trusted."

"But you're voting for me, too. Aren't you?"

"We're splitting the votes between you and Peter because you told me Peter has the idol. We were gonna vote for him and Mike but Mike won immunity. But don't worry, Peter's the target."

"I'm gonna vote for him then."

"Do you think he'll vote for you?" asked Michelle.

"Probably, I think he's smart enough to figure out that you're splitting the votes."

"If my 6 split the votes 3-3 between you and Peter, and both you and Peter vote for each other, then that makes a 4-4 tie at tribal council. 4+4 is 8 and there's 9 people. Who are we missing?" thought Michelle out loud.

"Mike," answered Jenn.

"Is there any way you can get Mike to vote for Peter?"

"No way, Mike gave his word to both me and Peter that he'd never vote against either of us, unless we tell him it's okay; he'll never break his word," informed Jenn.

"Well that means he won't vote for you either, right?"

"Yup, he'll probably vote for you," said Jenn.

"As long as he doesn't vote for you then there's a 4-4 tie at tribal council, then we'll revote and we'll all vote for Peter."

"Okay."

Peter knew he had to pull a power move to stay in the game. His best bet was to talk to Buck or Juan about voting off Michelle since they were still be bitter about her voting against Henry. He talked to Buck first.

"Hey Buck," greeted Peter.

"Hi," mumbled Buck, hoping Peter would go away.

"I just wanted to talk to you about the vote tonight."

"Okay."

"Alright, Michelle is the biggest player in this game right now. She's running the show, she's leading the alliance, and she's telling us all the same thing; she's gonna take us to the top 3, or the top 6, or the top 4. She has so many alliances with everyone that no one can trust her. She's already lied to you when she voted out Henry; she was behind that."

"I know," admitted Buck.

"So why don't we take her out? If you and Juan vote for her with me, Mike, and Jenn; she's gone."

"I don't know if I can do that."

"Why not? You know she's already planning to take the both of you out once I'm gone. She doesn't trust you because you were so close to Henry."

"I want Michelle gone for what she did to Henry. But you voted for him too and if I flip I'm in a bad spot,"

"You won't be in a bad spot; you'll be guaranteed top 5 and I'll take you to the top 3," promised Peter.

"It's too risky; I'm not changing my vote."

Buck was extremely tempted to vote for Michelle. _She's a backstabber, she voted for Henry,_ thought Buck. But Buck wanted Peter gone more and he knew voting for Michelle would put him in jeopardy. _Peter's a little weasel. Henry wanted him gone for a reason._ So even though Buck was angry with Michelle and was very distant around her, he would not change his vote.

Peter used the same argument with Juan with the same result. Next Peter tried Matty and Matty told him,

"Sorry Bro, I can't give up this majority."

"What if Buck and Juan are on board; we'll have the majority."

"I don't believe that they're on board with this. I mean, they hate Michelle. Don't get me wrong, but, frankly they hate you more. The only way they'd vote for Michelle is if they couldn't vote for you."

"So you're not on board?"

"Sorry."

Peter came up with an alternate plan; go to the woman in power: Michelle.

"I know you don't trust me but I think you have some bigger fish to fry," started Peter.

"I'm listening."

"Buck and Juan are still upset about the whole Henry thing. They don't trust you."

"How do you know?"

"They told me that they wanted you gone."

"BullSh*t, Peter. I know Buck and Juan don't trust me; it's obvious by the way they distance themselves from me. I know they don't like that I took out Henry but they'll go after you first. They were part of Henry's core alliance and all Henry told them was how much he wanted you gone. They will not target me until you're gone; the only way they'd consider voting for me is if they _can't_ vote for you."

"Then once I'm gone, you're their next target. Why not, for your personal game, keep me around as a shield from them?" proposed a desperate Peter.

"Peter, I can handle them. Let's end this right here; I'm not buying whatever you're selling. I'll be straight up with you. This is what's going down tonight; I have 6 people, the 3 guys are gonna vote for you, the 3 girls are gonna vote for Jenn, Jenn is gonna vote for you. That means the only thing you can do is vote for Jenn. That will force a tie in which case; if you didn't already play the idol we'll send you home in the revote."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because honestly there is nothing you can do about it; no one's flipping: not my alliance, not Jenn, no one. You can try to get my allies to deviate from the plan but they won't. No one wants to miss the opportunity to take you out. There's no hard feeling toward you, it's just you're a big strategic and physical threat, so you need to be taken out."

"I understand."

"I'm not going to Henry you; I won't ostracize you. We can still talk and be friendly, I'm just not going to change my vote."

"Thank you for your honesty."

"Good game," said Michelle as she shook Peter's hand.

"It's not over till the fat lady sings," said Peter smiling.

"Well, good luck with that."

 _He's gone tonight if he doesn't play the idol. If he does he'll be a dead man walking until the next tribal council. There's nothing he can pull to save himself,_ thought Michelle.

 _Everyone thinks my idol is real. Maybe I can use that to my advantage. If Jenn doesn't vote for me, then I can just vote for her and she'll be gone,_ realized Peter. He went to go talk to Jenn.

"Jenn here's the plan: they're splitting the votes; the men are voting for me, the women are voting for you, but I got Michelle to vote for Buck. So me, you, Mike, and Michelle are voting for Buck and he'll go home."

"You're lying, Peter. Nobody's flipping; they're splitting the votes and I'm voting for you."

"Why would you do that? We can take out Buck right now."

"Because Michelle's not voting for Buck and if I listen to you and vote for Buck; you'll vote for me and I'll go home. You did this same thing to Joanne and I'm not falling for it."

"Michelle is voting for Buck and if you vote for me, I'll play the idol. Then I'll swap my vote to you and you'll go home."

"You're voting for me anyway! And if you play the idol I'm going home regardless because Michelle isn't flipping! I'm not changing my vote, Peter."

With Jenn set on voting for Peter he had to try to get one of the Perdiendo men to vote for Jenn instead of him. He started with Matty.

"I don't wanna do this, but I realize it's me against her and I need to pull the trigger. If you flop your vote to Jenn, she'll go home."

"I'm not changing my vote, dude. If I vote for Jenn: you'll play the idol on her, the 3 of you will vote for me, and I'll go home. It'll be like Tyson's blindside from _Survivor Heroes vs. Villains._ "

"I swear to God that won't happen. Jenn's voting for me, she's not gonna vote for you. Don't you want her gone?"

"She's a b*tch nut I'm not willing to risk my game to get her out. Sorry, Bro."

 _Gotta keep on tryin',_ thought Peter. He tried Buck next.

"You want people who deserve to be here to win, right?"

"Of course."

"Do you really think Jenn deserves to be here? She's worthless in challenges, she's annoying, she rides coattails, and she has done nothing in this game. I think I deserve to be here more."

"I don't want her here but you gotta go first. I know what Jenn gon' do. I don't know what you gon' do next."

"Alright."

Lastly, Peter tried Juan with the same result; no one was flipping. He didn't even try to get Mike to vote for Jenn, there was no way Mike would break his word; and he gave his word to both Peter and Jenn that he wouldn't vote for them. With a couple hours before tribal council, Peter paddled out to his island. He tried thinking of a way out.

 _There's no way I'll survive tonight's tribal council. Even though everyone thinks I have the hidden immunity idol, I don't. And the only way I'll survive tonight's tribal council is if I'm immune,_ thought Peter. And then he realized: W _hat if Mike gave me immunity? Oh there's no way he'd do that. He's too smart to do that. Unless he thinks he's immune too._

Then Peter felt guilty. _I can't screw Mike over like that. He's my friend._ Peter couldn't believe he actually thought that. He told himself so many times that he wasn't here to make friends. He thought he'd be willing to do anything to win. He told himself not to let emotions get in the way of things. _I gotta do what I gotta do,_ he reminded himself. He paddled back to shore and started talking with Mike.

"Figured I'd give you the low-down on what's happening tonight."

"Alright, shoot."

"Well, the other tribe is planning on splitting the votes 3 and 3 for me and Jenn to flush my idol. So if I play my idol; Jenn goes home, if I don't; I go home."

"Well you gotta play it."

"I know but I've just been thinking of a way to make sure all 3 of us stay here."

"Is anybody from the other tribe willing to flip?"

"Not a chance."

"Well I don't see a way that all of us are gonna make it."

"I have an idea."

"Shoot."

"Alright so as it stands now; we're both safe because you have the necklace and I have the idol."

"Right."

"That means no matter what; tonight the 2 of us are good."

"Uh-huh."

"That means the person we need to save here is Jenn."

"Yeah."

"We have to try to save her because the two not only gave our word that we'd never write her name down but we promised we'd all look out for each other. So we have to do everything we can to save her."

"If we can, yeah."

"Okay so the reason the other tribe has us beat is because they're splitting the votes so who ever we play the idol on; the other person goes home."

"Um-hm."

"But see the reason they can split the votes is because they've had time to organize and coordinate who's voting for whom. If they didn't have that time; they wouldn't be able to split the vote."

"Right."

"So we're gonna take that time away."

"How?"

"Do you know when Jeff Probst asks the person with the immunity necklace if he wants to keep it or not?"

"Right before we vote."

"Exactly, right before we vote. There is no time to communicate or make a new plan from the time Jeff Probst asks if you want to keep immunity to the time we vote. They won't possibly be able to coordinate a new split vote plan."

"Why would they need to make a new split vote plan?"

"Because you're going to hand me the immunity necklace. They would have to make a new plan to split the vote between you and Jenn, but they won't have the time to do that."

"So who would they vote for?"

"They'd vote for you because you just gave their target: me, immunity. They'll be pissed at you. With no time to split the vote; all 6 of them will vote for you. That's when you'll pull out the hidden immunity idol."

"With the 6 of their votes voided our 3 votes will be the only ones that count," realized Mike.

"Exactly and the 3 of us will take out their leader: Michelle."

"I don't know. Everyone who gives up immunity gets voted out."

"Exactly. Everyone votes for the person who gives up immunity. But the difference between you and the people who get voted out after giving up the necklace is you'll still be immune because you'll have the hidden immunity idol. There's no way you'll go home. I'm not trying to screw you over, Mike. I trust you. That's why I'm giving you the idol right now," promised Peter as he handed Mike the fake idol.

"Peter, I haven't made up my mind yet."

"I know you'll do the right thing. I know you won't screw me over. See Mike, there's no way you can go home. There's no risk for the both of us because we'll both be immune. There's no risk and there's a good chance it can save Jenn. If there's no way you can go home wouldn't you try anything to save Jenn? We promised we would. We can't break our word."

"You're right. Worst case scenario is they manage to make a new split vote plan, I play the idol and Jenn goes home; which is the same result as if we don't do anything. So there's no loss. But best case scenario is they all vote for me, I play the idol and Michelle goes home. That's a gain. We have to try it."

"Exactly."

"If this works it's genius."

"I know."

The last 30 minutes before tribal council were excruciating for Peter. _If there was any other way to stay in the game I'd take it. If there is any other person I could screw over I would. If I had the real hidden immunity idol, I'd give it to Mike. But I don't and there's no other way._ Every second he wanted to tell Mike the truth; that the idol was false. But Peter knew that would mean his game was over. He ignored the guilt and held his tongue.

The Ettenan tribe headed off to tribal council. When they arrived Jeff asked Mike,

"Last tribal council seemed to be very pivotal; Henry who was the so called 'leader' was voted out. Was there any kind of power shift?"

"Well, before the last tribal council the tribe was split along tribal lines. Then there was a power shift and then the power shifted again so now the tribe is split along tribal lines here."

"Okay so before the Perdiendo tribe was altogether. Then the Ganando tribe went from the outs to a majority alliance, but now the Perdiendo tribe is back together?"

"Correct."

"So what happened to put your former tribe back on the outs, Peter?"

"You could ask Jenn that."

"Okay Jenn, what happened?"

"Well, the former Ganando tribe formed an alliance with the women of the former Perdiendo tribe."

"So Mike, Peter, you, Michelle, Amy, and Lisa all formed an alliance," clarified Jeff.

"Yes, and together we voted out Henry."

"And that left Buck, Juan, and you; Matty on the outs," said Jeff turning to Matty.

"That's right," responded Matty.

"So interesting experience for you. This is the first time anyone from the dominant Perdiendo tribe has been on the outs."

"I know it wasn't fun, man. I decided I'd do anything to be back in the majority. There's no way I'd risk the majority now. Knowing we were about to get picked off one-by-one. It's not a good feeling."

"But apparently the old Perdiendo tribe is back together. How did that happen, Juan?"

"I don't know. For some reason Michelle came back to us and said it's all good."

"Do you trust that she's telling the truth?"

"I don't know why she'd lie."

"Okay Michelle, what happened? Why did you switch alliances so quickly?"

"I was informed by Jenn that Peter had been lying to me. That told me that I couldn't trust him so I couldn't be aligned with him."

"What exactly did you say, Jenn?"

"Well, it's a long story but mainly Peter convinced her that Henry had the idol so she'd vote for Henry. But Henry didn't have the idol; Peter planted it in his bag."

"And you told Michelle about this?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I thought honesty was the best policy since she was my ally, but I guess not in this game."

"So Peter, that would mean that you would have the idol."

"I can honestly tell you I do not have the hidden immunity idol."

"Do you believe him, Michelle?"

"Nope."

"Well Peter, Michelle thinks you have the idol."

"I don't really care."

"Well if the former Perdiendo tribe is back together; that means you, Mike, and Jenn are on the outs."

"We are."

"So is one of you going home tonight?"

"That's what I'm trying to avoid, but there's a good chance one of the 3 of us is gone."

"So Mike, you're on the outs. How important was winning immunity today?"

Mike planned on being cocky at tribal council so once he gave up immunity everyone would vote for him.

"Not that important, Jeff. This entire tribe is scared to death of me; there's no way they'd vote me out."

"Kind of a cocky thing to say when you're in the minority of this tribe."

"It's the truth," responded Mike. He hated pretending to be cocky. Cockiness pissed Mike off but he figured if it irritated people then everyone would want to vote for him which would save Jenn.

"Well regardless of if you think you need it or not you have it so that means, Peter; you and Jenn are in the hot seat tonight."

"Yup."

"Well Jenn, if Peter does have the idol; you're in a bad spot."

"I'm probably going home tonight," responded Jenn.

"Would you agree with that, Michelle?"

"It's either her or Peter."

"Well it seems like a pretty straightforward vote but crazier things have happened. One last order of business; Mike you are wearing the individual immunity necklace. You don't think you need it. As always you can choose to give it up to another player."

"Well Jeff, I've thought long and hard about this and I think this is the best strategic move to hopefully save one of my allies. I'd like to give my immunity necklace to Peter."

Peter almost reluctantly took the necklace. He did not feel relief. He knew Mike would follow through because he said he would. Peter felt only guilt and selfishness. Everyone else was shocked. Michelle tried to scramble to make a new plan but she had no time.

"Well suddenly Peter, you are safe. Cannot vote for Peter, everyone else is fair game. It is time to vote. Mike, you're up."

When it was Peter's turn to vote he wrote down Mike's name and said nothing to the camera. He sat back down and buried his eyes into his hand.

"Peter, what's wrong?" asked Mike.

Peter couldn't answer. Once everyone voted and Jeff had tallied the votes he came back and said,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

The former Perdiendo tribe looked at Peter but he did not look up. Instead Mike pulled Peter's fake idol out of his pocket and gave it to Jeff. Everyone but Peter's jaw dropped. He came back and said to Peter,

"You can stop acting. I played the idol. I hope this works."

Peter didn't move.

Jeff held up the idol and announced,

"The rules of _Survivor_ state that if anyone plays a hidden immunity idol, then any votes cast against that person will not count and the person with the next highest number of votes will be sent home. Thisis _not_ a hidden immunity idol. All votes cast for Mike will count. I'll read the votes."

Mike turned to Peter.

"Peter, what's going on?"

Peter looked at Mike and said,

"I'm sorry. It was the only way I could stay. If there was any other way, if there was any other way…"

Mike still looked at Peter with his one eye confused and hurt. The look tore at Peter's heart. He couldn't bear to look at him anymore. Peter looked down. A tremendous amount of guilt came over him as Jeff read,

"First vote-Mike."

"Mike."

"Michelle."

"Michelle, 2 votes Mike, 2 votes Michelle."

"Mike."

"Mike."

"The 11th person voted out of Survivor Bora-Bora and the first member of our jury-Mike. That's 5, that's enough. You'll have to bring me your torch."

"Mike stood up and brought his torch to Jeff. He looked back at Peter but Peter couldn't meet his eyes. As Jeff snuffed Mike's torch he said,

"Mike, you're tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

As Mike walked out he said with a smile,

"Good luck, guys."

 **Vote**

Mike-Michelle

Jenn-Michelle

 **2 votes Michelle**

Peter-Mike

Michelle-Mike

Lisa-Mike

Amy-Mike

Matty-Mike

Buck-Mike

Juan-Mike

 **7 votes Mike**

Larkin, Peter

7/21/13

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 12

X-eliminated

Contestants:

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon **X** Henry Kaider **X**

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson **X** Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee **X**

Alicia Brown **X** Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez **X**

Diane Baxter **X**

Jon Kelly **X**

Peter didn't feel the sense of accomplishment he usually did when his scrambling paid off. Instead he just felt guilt.

The former Perdiendo tribe alliance was shocked from tribal council, but Jenn was furious. She couldn't believe Peter would betray Mike. So when the Ettenan tribe returned to camp she let Peter have it.

"You filthy excuse of a human being! Mike never betrayed you!" yelled Jenn.

"Get off your pedestal. You're the same as me. I've never written your name down once; I've always had your back. And how many times have you written my name down? Twice. And if I didn't do what I did tonight you would have done it again and I would have gone home. Don't act so superior," responded Peter.

"I think you like lying and manipulating and backstabbing people like Mike who always had your back, who never lied to you, who never betrayed you!" accused Jenn.

Peter paused. He could feel the anger welling up inside of him. He had a huge urge to grab Jenn's throat and strangle her. Instead he explained,

"You think I like talking to people about how good friends we'll be outside of this game, you think I like promising people that I'll be loyal no matter what and then lying right to their face and sending them home?! Well I don't! But it's the immense stupidity of people like you that put me in the position where I have to. You have as much to do with Mike's departure as I do," said Peter, trying more to convince himself than Jenn. "It's your idiocy that put me in the position where I had to betray Mike!"

 _Yeah, it's Jenn's fault not mine. She did it,_ thought Peter.

Jenn said no more and Peter paddled to his island and thought all night. _It's her fault not mine! No, I did it. I did it. I have to take responsibility for that,_ Peter finally accepted. Jenn was stupid but he was the cause of Mike going home. And then came the guilt, _Mike didn't deserve that. He was loyal. He always stood by my side. I shouldn't have done that. This game isn't worth losing that friendship. Mike was my friend. He was a true friend._ Peter sat their feeling terrible for Mike for hours. _He was a real person, not a character, not a chess piece. I betrayed a real person, a friend._ But as the sun rose up he realized, _I did what I had to do. He'll understand. He's not dead. I have to get my head back into this game._

So he paddled back to camp. No one looked at him while they ate breakfast. Afterwards he talked to Jenn.

"Jenn I want to apologize. I think we were both angry and I said some things I regret. I take responsibility for sending Mike home. I don't think you're stupid," said Peter.

 _Actually yes I do. You're still an idiot,_ thought Peter.

"I don't think you're a bad person," he continued.

 _You're one of the meanest, most annoying human beings I've ever met,_ thought Peter.

"I don't think you are either, Peter. I'm sorry for saying what I said."

"It's okay."

"I understand what you did to Mike. I don't think you enjoyed lying to him."

"It was very hard to do."

"So are we okay?" asked Jenn.

"We're okay. We have to be. Let's look at the numbers; it's 6 against 2. We don't really have any options but to stick together."

"That's true."

"We gotta make a plan to get out of this hole."

"Yeah."

Peter and Jenn talked through scenarios in an effort to find a way to crack the alliance of 6. They had plenty of time alone since the rest of the tribe was doing their best to distance themselves from the two. Peter and Jenn could find no way to break the alliance. They were solid at the last tribal council and they were still solid. They were all set on voting out Peter.

The last tribal council confused Michelle. She expected Peter to play the idol that everyone thought that he had. She didn't understand why Mike gave Peter the immunity necklace. She knew Peter convinced Mike to do it somehow but she couldn't find a good reason for Mike to do it. Mike was not stupid. _Why would Peter make Mike give him immunity in the first place? Why didn't he just play his idol and send Jenn home? Mike was a better ally than Jenn. Was it to save his idol? Why did Mike play a fake idol? It looked so realistic. It looked just like the one…_ Michelle figured it out. _Peter never had the idol! The idol he planted in Henry's bag was fake and it was the same one that Mike played!_ Now that Michelle knew Peter didn't have the idol she didn't have to split the votes. She called a meeting with her alliance.

"Peter doesn't have the idol," Michelle informed her alliance.

"What are you talking about? I thought you said he planted his idol in Henry's bag so you'd vote for him," reminded Buck, irritated. _No Sh*t he doesn't have the idol; I have it. No you're changing your story. You're almost as bad as Peter,_ thought Buck.

"I know but the idol he planted was fake. It was the same idol Mike played last night."

"Oh yeah, and that's how he got Mike to give up immunity," realized Lisa.

"But that also means we have right where we want him. He's doesn't have an idol to save himself, he's run out of allies, we don't have to split the votes, and no one's flipping."

"We're not splitting votes?" asked Juan.

"No, we don't need to. All we need to do is find the idol and make sure he doesn't scramble out of this. He's persuasive, dangerous, and cut-throat. Look at what he did to Mike. We can't trust him. If he comes up to talk to you about anything but casual chit-chat leave or tell him to talk to me. He can put ideas in your head, it's best not to give him a chance. Meanwhile we'll search for the idol."

Michelle was trying to make everyone her puppets by becoming the obvious leader. She was trying to replicate what Boston Rob did with his tribe in _Survivor: Redemption Island,_ but it wasn't working very well. Her allies, especially Juan and Buck were irritated by her trying to take control. _She think we don't got brains,_ thought Buck.

Michelle could see Buck was unhappy with her orders and made a mental note to take him out first once her alliance would have to start cannibalizing each other. She knew he was still angry about her voting for Henry and that he and Juan didn't trust her. Her alliance searched for the idol but they of course did not find it. Buck already had it.

Peter noticed that every time he tried to talk to anyone other than Jenn, they tried to end the conversation as soon as possible. Some even ignored him. When the tribe ate together most of them didn't look him in the eyes. He asked Matty,

"Am I next?"

"Yup, bro. You're a dead man walking," replied Matty.

He went to greet Buck,

"Hey Buck, what's up?"

"I've been told not to talk to you," he answered grumpily.

"By who?"

"Michelle."

"Why?"

"Because you're dangerous and you're next."

"Well, I don't want to get you in trouble."

Lisa and Amy were talking about Peter.

"I can't wait till he's gone. He's such a liar," said Amy.

"I know. I can't believe he did that to Mike," said Lisa.

"I'm so glad he's going home next."

Peter was walking up the beach and waved hello.

"We're not supposed to talk to you," said Amy disgusted.

"I was just saying 'hi'."

"Well now you can say 'bye'."

 _What a b*tch,_ thought Peter. He decided to talk to Michelle. She was the one in power and she would always be willing to talk.

"You have a pretty nice stranglehold on your alliance," complimented Peter.

"Thank you. I'm just keeping their eyes on the target."

"I understand. It's a good tactic; not allowing me to strategize, but an alliance of 6 when there's 8 people left is a big alliance. Right now I have no real allies. I don't really pose a threat to you. Do you really want to waste this opportunity on voting out me? Is there any way you'd consider voting for anyone else?"

"Honestly, no. I'll tell you straight: unless I can't vote for you; my vote will not change. Everything you tell me I will take into account but it will not change the fact that you're going home at the next tribal council."

"Okay thanks for letting me know."

"No problem."

 _"Unless I can't vote for you; my vote will not change." So basically unless I win immunity she won't listen to me and unless I win immunity I'm going home,_ realized Peter.

The Ettenan tribe headed off to their reward challenge.

The challenge tested your abilities with native Polynesian weapons. First, all eight contestants would throw the Leiomano (which is a shark-toothed club that doesn't look like it should be thrown) at a target. The 4 contestants with their clubs closest to the center of the target move on. Those 4 contestants then throw the laumeki (which is a traditional barbed short spear) at a target once again. The top 2 finishers would move on to the final. Those 2 would then use the Ma'a and stones (a sling used to propel rocks at enemies) to break 5 large hanging tiles. The first one to break all 5 tiles would win a trip to gorgeous waterfall and a picnic lunch.

Peter wanted to win to bring some people from the other alliance with him so he could talk to them when Michelle wasn't there.

In the first round Peter threw the Leimano 2 sections away from the center of the target. _That's alright I guess,_ thought Peter. He was surprised when Jenn, Lisa, and Juan all completely missed the target. Amy was up next and barely hit the bottom of the target. Buck was next up and hit the section furthest from the center but beat Amy. Matty hit his target a couple inches further from the center than Peter and Michelle edged out Buck by just an inch, but it didn't matter Peter, Matty, Michelle, and Buck all moved on to the laumeki.

Matty threw first and managed to hit the center circle.

"Wow, man. That was lucky," he admitted.

Buck threw the spear hard but he threw it above the target missing it completely. Michelle hit the target just outside of the center circle. Peter was up last. He had to hit the center circle to beat out Michelle. He felt no pressure. _It's just a reward challenge. I came to this challenge hungry, if I leave hungry nothing was lost,_ he thought. But he threw it and his spear just touched the center circle beating out Michelle.

So Matty and Peter moved on to the final. The sling just looked like a rope to Peter with a little woven basket at the end of it. He slipped his stone inside the basket and threw. Both he and Matty struggled a bit getting used to it. But Matty caught on quicker and hit his first tile. Then Matty hit his second and third in a row before Peter finally figured it out and hit his first. Matty then hit his fourth. Matty had one left, but he fell into a slump allowing Peter to come back. Peter hit 2 in a row. Then Matty hit his last tile but it only chipped it, it didn't break. Peter missed twice then hit his fourth tile. Matty had another chance to win it but chipped another corner of his tile. Peter finally ended the challenge when he hit his last tile dead-center.

"Congratulations Peter it's going to be a great break from the game but no one wants to go to eat by themselves. You can take 2 people with you."

"Thanks Jeff. I think I'll take Buck and…" he paused then decided "Juan."

"Alright, Buck, Juan get up here. Peter, Buck, and Juan going on reward. Enjoy. Michelle, Jenn, Amy, Lisa, and Matty I got nothing for you. Head back to camp."

Buck, Peter, and Juan hiked through the beautiful jungle to get to their reward and immediately started eating. The waterfall was beautiful but they were all so hungry that they didn't really care. They gorged on sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, cookies, and potato chips. Once the three were done eating Peter drank coke while Buck and Juan started guzzling down beer. They were drinking bottle after bottle. Not wanting him to be drunk while he talked to him, Peter started talking to Buck.

"I know we might have gotten off on the wrong foot but I figured here would be a nice place for us to start over."

Buck burped and said,

"Yeah."

"What's up with this whole 'let's not talk to Peter' thing?

"Oh, Michelle doesn't want you talkin' to anybody."

"I guess that makes her the leader then; calling shots. That's probably why she took out Henry; she was jealous and wanted to take his spot."

"You voted out Henry too."

"Yeah but it was Michelle's idea. I'm starting to realize she's the puppet master."

"Henry told us all that _you_ were our #1 threat."

"Maybe then, but Michelle told me she doesn't trust you because you're still mad about Henry going home."

"She did?"

"Yeah, I bet she'll freak if she finds out you've been hidin' that idol from her."

"How did you know I have it?"

"I saw you drop it from your hat to your bag but I didn't tell anybody cause' I think we can work together."

"Are you gonna tell anyone?"

"If we work together, you're secret's safe with me."

Buck read between the lines. _He's sayin' if I don't join up with him; he'll tell everyone about my idol._

"You blackmailin' sonofab*tch. Go ahead and tell everyone I got the idol. It ain't gonna change a damn thing. Everyone wants you out."

"I didn't say I'd tell anyone," defended Peter.

"Yeah, you did. Henry was right about your weasely ass. I'll be happy to send you home."

Juan had continued drinking bottles of beer while Peter and Buck were talking and Peter doubted Juan heard a thing they said but Peter knew it didn't matter. Buck was against him and that meant Juan was too. With another plea of his shot down Peter took a dip into the pool of water under the waterfall to think.

He thought about telling Michelle that Buck had the idol and that she should blindside him but Michelle told him that she wouldn't vote for anyone else if she could vote for Peter, and Peter believed her. _Even if she was willing to vote for someone else she wouldn't believe me if I told her Buck had the idol; not after I lied to her about Henry having the idol. And even if she did believe me and wanted to get rid of Buck with the idol, she'd only do it if she could split the votes. She wouldn't want to risk Buck playing the idol,_ thought Peter. He realized that he was out of options. _It's win immunity or go home._

Buck, Peter, and Juan came back to camp carrying some of the food from the reward. It was Peter's idea. He knew giving the tribe some food probably wouldn't help him. In the modern game of _Survivor,_ nice gestures meant almost nothing strategically, but he thought if nothing else it was a nice thing to do. _There are parts of this game that are completely separate from your character in the outside world such as manipulating, lying, and backstabbing to stay in the game. But there are parts that show your real character like working hard at camp, being considerate about food rations, and being generous about rewards. Whenever you don't have to be cutthroat, you should be nice,_ thought Peter. But it made Michelle very suspiciousand she called a meeting with her alliance. She was worried about Buck and Juan flipping. She knew they didn't trust her; other than in alliance meetings they never spoke to her. She was just hoping they remembered that they disliked Peter more.

"What did he talk to you guys about?" asked Michelle.

"Nothin"'

"Did he try to change your votes; did he try to throw someone under the bus, what happened?"

"Would you relax? Damn. I ain't flipping but if you ask me another damn question I might goddamn think about it," snapped Buck.

The outburst only worried Michelle even more but she was still pretty sure his vote was solid on Peter. She decided to listen to him and stop asking him questions.

"Do you guys see how manipulative he is? Bringing in food, trying to buy good will; it's all fake," announced Michelle.

Michelle didn't actually think so, but she had to keep them all focused on a common target. Vilifying Peter united them.

"He's such a snake," added Amy.

"We have to make sure he does not win this immunity challenge. We have to give it our all. If anyone else wins it's okay; even Jenn, but he cannot win."

Michelle badly wanted Peter gone. Her whole game revolved around taking out the biggest threat and it was obvious that Peter was her biggest threat, but if he won immunity she'd have to take out Jenn who was feeble a player as it gets. _She sucks in challenges, she has no social skills, she's the most annoying person I've ever met, and strategically she just does whatever Peter says,_ thought Michelle about Jenn.

"We need to be as prepared as possible for this challenge. He's already going to be strong because he won the reward. We need to fuel up. Let's eat all of the reward they brought back today, we'll have larger meals today and tomorrow, and we'll feed him a little less than usual."

Most of her starving allies happily agreed to more food, especially at the expense of their biggest target, but Matty stood up and said,

"I don't think that's right, bra."

"Sometimes you have to do some cutthroat things in this game," answered Michelle.

"That's not fair. If he's not eating, I'm not eating."

"No! You're our best challenge competitor. If you don't eat; you're next," warned Michelle.

The threat frightened Matty. He agreed to eat. _It's not right, but if I wanna win this cool mil I'll swallow my character,_ he thought.

When Peter went spear fishing Michelle demanded that her allies eat an extra meal. They measured out larger servings of rice for everyone and were eating the reward food Peter had brought back. Matty felt guilty but he didn't want to disobey Michelle while she had power. While everyone was eating Jenn walked up and caught them.

 _I don't really care if Jenn eats or not, but I can't let her tell Peter,_ thought Michelle.

Jenn was surprised to find the former Perdiendo tribe eating a huge meal when it wasn't even close to time for dinner.

"You can eat too; just don't tell Peter," said Michelle.

Jenn asked no questions. She was starving.

 _If Peter doesn't eat then there's more food for me,_ thought Jenn.

The 7 of them all gorged on food and managed to finish before Peter came back.

"I only caught 3 fish today; bad visibility," informed Peter.

Night fell and the Ettenan tribe ate dinner. Usually Peter cooked the rice but this time Michelle insisted on cooking it. Peter was confused when he got a smaller serving than usual and it seemed like everyone else got a larger portion than usual.

"Have we adjusted the servings?" asked Peter.

"Um yeah; our rations weren't gonna last so we're getting slightly smaller servings."

Peter didn't notice anyone else getting a smaller serving but he didn't want to complain. His stomach was rumbling as he went to bed.

In the morning Michelle once again cooked the rice and once again gave Peter a smaller serving. Peter's body had become adjusted to the amount of food he had been eating, but when his amount of food was reduced it gave him a massive headache. He went into the forest to find some coconuts and brought them back to camp. He needed to be strong for the immunity challenge. When he came back Michelle was angry. She didn't want him to be eating very much before the challenge.

"Why didn't you bring some coconuts for the tribe?" she asked.

"I thought everyone just got a coconut when they wanted one," explained Peter.

"Well, I didn't expect you to be selfish," accused Michelle. She didn't really think Peter was being selfish but the more she could vilify Peter; the better, and she knew if he won immunity it would throw off her plans for that night.

"I didn't realize that was selfish, I'll go catch some fish to make up for it."

Peter went spear fishing where he caught 5 more fish, but Michelle used the time while he was gone to give her alliance one last boost before the challenge.

They ate another meal of rice, eggs from their chickens, and some coconut. When Peter returned to camp he tried to mentally prepare himself for the next challenge. _It's Do or Die time._

When the Ettenan tribe arrived at the challenge, he asked them,

"Guys ready to get to today's immunity challenge?"

Everyone answered,

"Yes."

"First things first Peter, I'll take it back."

Jeff came over to get the individual immunity necklace from Peter.

"You're gonna have to come over here and get it," responded Peter, not wanting to give it up.

"Immunity is back up for grabs. For today's challenge you will have to move a handle through a table maze, when you get to the end of the maze you will use the handle break tile to retrieve a box. Once you untie the box you will grab the second handle inside of it. You will then take both handles as you cross a long balance beam collecting 3 bags of puzzle pieces along the way. If you fall off the balance beam you will have to go back. Once you are across the balance beam with all 3 bags of puzzle pieces, you will get to a rock wall with grooves in it. You will use your two handles and the rocks on the wall to get to the top. Once you get to the top of the rock wall, you will use your puzzle pieces to solve a puzzle. The first person to finish their puzzle and step away from it wins immunity and is guaranteed a 1 in 7 shot at winning this game. Losers go to tribal council and someone will be voted out. But before we get to today's challenge, there's a little twist."

Jeff brought out 2 bags: one full of shells and one full of rocks. He had everyone pick a rock and put it in their right hand, and then everyone picked a shell and put it in their left hand. As a true _Survivor_ fan, Peter knew what was about to happen. He was not surprised when Jeff revealed,

"If you feel safe enough that you don't you need to win immunity, You can skip this immunity challenge and you can choose to eat instead."

Jeff revealed a full on feast at the table. Everyone groaned at the sight of it. Michelle was worried her hungry tribemates might take the bait. She shot glares at everyone who was looking at the food. Peter knew he needed immunity and didn't flinch. He was actually happy. _Everyone in the other alliance is gonna choose to eat. Ups my chances,_ he thought. But when Jeff asked everyone to show the shell if they wanted to eat or show the rock if they wanted to play, everyone showed the rock.

"Wow, no one taking the food. Does everyone feel like they might go home tonight if they don't win immunity?"

"No Jeff, most of us are just trying to make sure a certain someone doesn't win immunity," answered Michelle.

"Does anyone want to end the suspense?"

"They're talking about me," said Peter.

"How does that feel to know everyone else is willing to give up a feast when they're starving just to get rid of you?"

"It's motivation. I know I gotta win or I'm going home."

"Well let's get to it. We'll draw for spots and get started."

Once everyone took their spots, Jeff yelled,

"Survivors ready, Go!"

Peter's headache was pounding and it was affecting him in the challenge. He couldn't concentrate and kept hitting dead-ends in the table maze, before long Peter was falling out of the competition.

"Michelle with a bit of a lead, Matty and Amy right behind, Buck in this. Peter needs to win but he's falling behind. You do not wanna go home tonight! Pick it up!" announced Jeff.

Peter started to figure out the maze. He calmed down his nerves and concentrated. He started to catch up.

"Peter starting to get the hang of this maze. You need to relax, don't panic; let that handle hover and guide it through. Lisa, Jenn, and Juan really struggling."

Peter started to speed it up. Michelle, Matty, Amy, and Buck had quite a lead on him.

"Michelle gets through and breaks her tile. Matty and Amy finish right behind. Peter trying to get back in this."

Michelle, Matty, and Amy were still untying their boxes. Peter was very close to the end of the maze.

"Buck finishes his maze. Michelle and Matty moving onto the balance beam, Amy still working on her knots. Peter's done with his maze."

Peter broke his tile and started ripping through the knots of his box. He went through the knots quickly.

"Michelle and Matty now working on their second bag of puzzle pieces. Amy finishes her knots; she's moving onto the balance beam along with Buck. Peter finishes his knots, he has his second handle. Peter's catching up."

Peter easily went down the balance beam to his first bag of puzzle pieces. Luckily, Buck fell allowing Peter to pass him. Amy reached her first bag of puzzle pieces slightly before Peter but she was struggling with the knots. Peter was whipping through them.

"Peter has his first bag; he's getting back in it. Michelle and Matty have their second bags moving onto their last bag. Oh Matty falls off the balance beam. Gotta go back to the start."

Matty didn't lose much time getting back to his last bag. Peter was almost a full bag behind both Michelle and Matty. He tried to hurry.

"Peter with his second bag; moving onto his last one with Matty and Michelle."

Peter had caught up a bit more; Michelle still had a few more knots to get her bag.

"Michelle has her last bag; she's moving onto the rock wall."

Michelle was having a bit of trouble on the rock wall. Peter was worried that he was too far behind. _You can't think like that, Peter. You're still in this, you gotta win, never give up,_ he reminded himself.

"Matty moving onto the rock wall, Peter right behind. It's Michelle, Matty, and Peter all in this."

Peter started scaling up the wall along with Matty who was doing well.

"Michelle up the wall and starting on her puzzle!"

Matty dropped one of his bags and jumped down so he wouldn't waste time but he left his handle in the groove of the wall and it was too high for him to grab it.

"Matty loses his handle, without it he can't climb the wall. He is out of this challenge; no shot at immunity. Peter gets up the wall quickly. We have a showdown: Michelle and Peter."

Michelle had a bit of a head start on untying her puzzle bags but Peter was right behind. They were both moving through them quickly.

"Michelle has all her bags untied, start working on the puzzle! Peter on his last bag."

Soon Peter had his last bag opened and he started on the puzzle. He had a strategy. Usually it was best to solve a puzzle from the corners inward but he noticed there were letters in the puzzle. Peter wasn't great at unscrambling words but being a super fan; he was well-versed in _Survivor_ phases. He laid out all the pieces with letters in front of him before solving the puzzle. This allowed Michelle to take a lead and place a several pieces in before him. But Peter quickly recognized that the letters formed the phrase "Only You are Safe." He was worried that Michelle had gotten too big of a lead and also figured out the phrase.

"I don't know what Peter's doing; he's just looking at the puzzle. Start solving! You're falling out of this challenge," warned Jeff.

Knowing the phrase Peter quickly put a majority of the puzzle together, but Michelle was still in front.

"Peter's made up a lot of time but Michelle only has a few pieces left."

Peter put in the last pieces that were part of the phrase to tie up with Michelle.

"Peter and Michelle are neck and neck now. They both only have a couple pieces left."

Peter had 4 pieces left to go. He quickly scrambled to put them in. He didn't dare to look over at Michelle.

"This is gonna be close," announced Jeff.

Michelle was down to her last couple pieces. _How did I blow this lead,_ thought Michelle. She looked over at Peter to see he only had 2 pieces left. She stuffed her last 2 pieces in.

Peter was so close, he was a piece away and he hadn't heard Jeff announce that Michelle won immunity. He could taste the necklace.

Michelle had one piece left; she excitedly placed it in her puzzle.

"Peter wins immunity!"

Michelle and Peter finished their puzzles at virtually the same time but Peter threw his arms in the air faster and stepped away from his puzzle first.

"Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes!" cried Peter. "Woo!"

He couldn't believe it. He came from behind to win immunity when he needed it most. Peter walked over and Jeff placed the individual immunity necklace on his neck.

"Well, Peter you needed it. You definitely earned it. You have a 1 in 7 shot at winning a million dollars. As for the rest of you: after 30 days one of you going home tonight. Grab your stuff; I'll see you at tribal council. Congratulations," he said to Peter.

Peter was bursting with joy after winning immunity. It was one of the things on his _Survivor_ bucket list and it couldn't have come at a better time. Michelle, on the other hand was depressed coming back from the challenge. Her whole game was based on taking out her biggest threat as soon as possible and Peter was her biggest threat, with him immune her plans were destroyed.

Even though Peter was safe at tribal council, he didn't plan on just relaxing until then. He knew with him immune; Jenn was the only person they could vote for outside of the alliance of 6. Although he personally didn't like Jenn, she was his only ally and probably the only person he could beat in a final 2 situation. With Peter in no immediate danger, he felt free to use the opportunity to try to take out Buck so he would have an opportunity to find the new idol. He talked to Buck about trivial things. He knew Buck wouldn't listen to him about changing his vote based on his reaction when Peter talked to him on the reward, but Peter had to stage a conversation. Soon afterward, Peter talked to Michelle. He remembered her saying,

"Unless I can't vote for you; my vote's not changing." She couldn't vote for Peter so he figured she'd be willing to listen to what he had to say.

"I just had an interesting conversation with Buck," he told her.

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's still upset about the whole Henry thing," Peter hinted.

"I know, he's been so cold with me ever since."

"He's pretty mad about it; he told me he and Juan were willing to go to a purple rock and vote with me and Jenn, if we voted for you."

"Me? Why? Jenn voted for Henry too."

"Yeah, but he felt you and I were the most responsible for Henry leaving and since I'm immune…"

 _Holy Sh*t, he's right. Buck was only voting with me because he wanted Peter out. Now he can't do that, so I'm the next on his list. Buck and Juan are both illogical, emotional, bitter players; they'd be willing to go to a purple rock,_ thought Michelle.

"Oh my God, a purple rock?"

"Yeah, but I was thinking: I'd rather be fifth in a solid alliance of 5 then be in an alliance with them 4 because I know Buck and Juan will go after me once I'm not immune and I don't want my position of power in this game decided by a rock."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"You don't, but if you'd rather find out and go to a purple rock tonight, that's fine; I'm not going home. I would just like to be in a secure alliance for once."

Michelle pondered whether he was being genuine or not. _He could be lying, but if I don't wanna risk going to a purple rock._

"Look, voting for Jenn is a wasted opportunity. She's not a threat in challenges, she has a terrible social game, and she can't come up with a strategic plan. We can use this opportunity to take out one of the biggest physical threats in this game and someone who neither of us can really trust. You have to take out you're biggest threat in this game," continued Peter.

"Let me think about this," answered Michelle.

Michelle was terrified of a purple rock, but it was so hard to tell if Peter was telling the truth or not. She had based her whole game on taking out the biggest threat and Jenn certainly wasn't one, but she was very hesitant to give Peter any power. Finally she made a decision and instructed her allies who to vote for.

Buck was angry when Peter won immunity; he wanted Peter gone the most. But Buck knew it wasn't yet a good time to go after Michelle, so he listened to her and planned on voting for Jenn at tribal council.

Peter wasn't too worried going to tribal council; for the first time in this game, even if his plan didn't work he wouldn't go home. He was still hoping Michelle would go with the plan because if it worked; Peter would have a new majority alliance of five and Jenn would still be in the game. He planned to somehow take Jenn to the final two. But he wanted to ostensible separate himself from her so his final 5 alliance would think he had no other allies but them, to do that he told Jenn to vote for Michelle.

Buck took his idol with him to tribal council. He felt pretty safe but if he heard something unsettling he wasn't afraid to play it.

The Ettenan tribe headed to tribal council. When they arrived Jeff asked a few questions about the terrible rain they'd been having and other trivial things before he asked Peter,

"At the immunity challenge you told me that the entire tribe was competing against you, how did it feel to win immunity?"

"Amazing; I knew if I didn't win I'd be going home tonight. I pulled through."

"So Michelle, your target wins immunity, what then?"

"You have to make a new plan, target the next biggest threat," she answered.

"Do you have any idea who that threat is?"

"I do and I don't think it's the person that will least expect it."

"Very ambiguous answer, does that worry you Amy? Maybe she could be talking about you."

"Not really. I don't think she's coming after me."

"Okay, let's see. By a raise of hands: is anybody pretty sure it's not them tonight?"

No one raised their hands initially, but after a pause Peter raised his hand smiling.

"Well obviously you're not going home tonight; you're immune. But as for the rest of you; nobody feels really safe. How bout' this: does anyone think there's a good chance they're going home tonight?"

Still no one answered. Peter decided to raise his hand.

"Peter put your hand down!" demanded Jeff.

"Somebody has to raise their hand Jeff!" responded Peter.

The entire tribe giggled a bit.

"Well no one feels like it's them tonight, so someone's in for a bit of a surprise. With fair bit of uncertainty surrounding who's going home tonight so let's get to it. Peter has the individual immunity necklace, as always you can choose to assign it to any other player or keep it for yourself."

Peter stood up and took off the necklace,

"Actually Jeff, I've decided after a lot of contemplation… that I'm going to keep the necklace tonight," he said as he sat down.

"Oh my God, I believed you for a second," said Michelle.

"Peter's keeping it, cannot vote for Peter everyone else is fair game. It is time to vote, Juan you're up."

Everyone voted and Jeff tallied the votes.

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

After a long pause, no one stood up. Jeff announced,

"I'll read the votes."

"First vote-Jenn."

"Michelle."

"Buck. 1 vote Buck, 1 vote Michelle, 1 vote Jenn."

Buck was shocked when he saw his name.

"Jenn. 2 votes Jenn."

"Buck. We're tied; 2 votes Buck, 2 votes Jenn, 1 vote Michelle."

"Buck."

Buck's jaw dropped. _What the hell is happening? Maybe I should've played the idol._

"The 12th person voted out of Survivor Bora-Bora and the 2nd member of our jury- Buck. That's 4, that's enough; no need to read the last vote. You'll have to bring me your torch."

Buck brought it over dumbfounded at what just happened. As Jeff snuffed his torch he said,

"Buck your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

 **Vote**

Buck-Jenn

Juan-Jenn

 **2 votes Jenn**

Jenn-Michelle

 **1 vote Michelle**

Michelle-Buck

Lisa-Buck

Amy-Buck

Matty-Buck

Peter-Buck

 **5 votes Buck**

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 13

X-eliminated

Contestants:

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg Jon Kelly **X**

Mike Lanyon **X** Henry Kaider **X**

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren **X**

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson **X** Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee **X**

Alicia Brown **X** Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne

Joanne Lopez **X**

Diane Baxter **X**

Peter was excited walking back from tribal council. Buck was gone which meant there was a new idol hidden and he had a new alliance. Peter knew the alliance was shaky but he was hoping he could slowly endear himself to them and make some sub-alliances.

Jenn was very worried coming back from tribal council. She had voted for Michelle and Michelle did not go home. _Peter told me to vote for Michelle; why didn't he vote for her too? Why didn't he tell me to vote for Buck?_ wondered Jenn. She decided to ask Peter when they came back to camp. Luckily, she and Peter arrived at camp first.

"What happened tonight? Why didn't you tell me Buck was going home tonight?" she asked.

"Jenn, I can't be seen talking to you. I made a new, fake alliance with me, Michelle, Matty, Lisa, and Amy. I managed to get them to go after Buck to save you. But they have to think I'm not allied with you for them to trust me, that's why I had you vote for Michelle; if we didn't vote together , they won't think we're still tight. When they come you gotta pretend to be mad at me," explained Peter quickly.

"Okay,"

Michelle was confused coming back from tribal council. Peter had told her that Buck and Juan were going to vote for her with Jenn in which case the vote should have been 5-3, but she only received 1 vote. When she along with the rest of the tribe got back they heard Jenn scream at Peter,

"You're a f**king traitor! We were supposed to vote for Michelle!"

"I had to do what was best for my game. I'm sorry you feel so upset," defended Peter.

"I'm done with you, you snake!" screamed Jenn before she stomped off. Michelle decided to talk to Peter.

"I guess she's pretty mad, huh?" asked Michelle.

"No Sh*t."

"Well, I was just wondering; you told me Buck and Juan were going to vote for me along with Jenn. I'm pretty sure Buck and Juan were the 2 votes against Jenn."

"I don't know, they probably figured out I wasn't voting with them and stuck with your original plan to vote Jenn."

"Yeah, that could be."

"We're still good, right? Final five?"

"Final five."

Michelle wasn't actually too sure about holding up her deal with Peter. She wanted to talk to her 4 core members of the alliance about it. In the morning they had a meeting.

"Are we seriously aligned with Peter?" asked Amy.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure we can trust him," added Lisa.

"We can still take him out next. We have 4 right here, that's a majority," pointed out Matty.

"This is our core 4 right here, but I think we can use him as a fifth," explained Michelle.

"Isn't he too big of a threat? We were willing to do anything to make sure he was gone just a yesterday," reminded Matty.

"I don't really think he's that big of a threat to us, now. Sure, he's crafty but he has nowhere to go; Jenn's pissed at him, Juan still wants him out. I think we can trust him because nobody else does. You saw how Jenn yelled at him. He can't turn on us because he has no one to turn to," pointed out Michelle.

"So we're seriously aligned with him?"

"He's fifth and he's going nowhere beyond that, but for now I don't think he'll lie to us and I promised him final five. We shouldn't start breaking deals if we don't have to," said Michelle.

"I can't believe we're aligned with him," said Matty.

Since Peter was in an alliance with Michelle she didn't have her alliance watch over him. It allowed Peter to have time to look for the idol. Right after breakfast and once the tribe dispersed he started looking. He checked around tree mail. He found a hole at the bottom of the tree mail idol where an idol could be hidden but he found nothing. He looked by the dock, still nothing. Then he went to the tribe's waterfall. Peter felt envious that the Perdiendo tribe had the waterfall all to themselves for so long. It was as beautiful as the waterfall he went to on his last reward. The water was crystal clear and there was a deep pool at the bottom. If you climbed up, the rocks were smooth so you could slide from the top until you hit the plunge (where the water separates from the rock), where there's a 10 foot drop into the pool. There was also a small underwater cave behind the plunge pool. Peter first checked the water cavern (the cave behind the water fall), there were a few crevices that he checked but he found nothing. Peter thought it might be underwater, but if it were tied to something in the pool he would see it. He decided to slide down the rocks. It was like a natural water slide. Once he hit the plunge, he exclaimed,

"Woohoo," before he was thrown underwater. When he dropped below the surface of the pool, he looked back to see the small underwater cave. _M_ aybe _it's in there,_ he thought. He swam into the cave. It would be a squeeze to get all the way inside the cave, so Peter just stuck his head and hand in the cave. There was no idol just hanging inside the cave and there was no place to bury it but there were some small crevices. He checked a few before he stuck his hand in one and he touched something that felt like clothe. He took it out and swam out of the cave. When he came out he finally got a good look at it. It was the idol. Peter now had his hands on his fourth hidden immunity idol. _Damn, I'm good._ Peter went and buried the idol. He got back to camp just in time to head to the reward challenge.

The reward challenge was simple. The 7 castaways would start on a large floating platform. On Jeff's go, they would have to dive to get a colored coconut, but there were only four coconuts so 3 castaways would be eliminated right off the bat. The four remaining castaways would then have to swim to shore and break open the coconut after they found something on the beach to open it with (it was the brittle dried out insides of a coconut so it wasn't that hard). Inside the coconut was a key which they would use to open a box containing a bag of puzzle pieces, but there were only 2 boxes so only the first 2 castaways to get their key and open their box would move on. Those 2 castaways would then use the puzzle pieces to solve a ladder puzzle from the bottom to the top. The first person to finish their ladder, climb up, and raise their flag would win a trip to a gourmet restaurant.

Once Jeff said, "Go," Matty and Peter quickly dove down and got their coconuts and started swimming. Michelle then retrieved the third coconut. Jenn and Juan stopped trying after one failed dive and Lisa just couldn't get down. After several attempts Amy retrieved the last coconut, but she was far behind the others.

Matty was a better swimmer than Peter, but the swim wasn't very long so he wasn't able to get too much of a lead. Nonetheless, Matty arrived on shore first and started sprinting down the beach looking for rocks to break his coconut. Peter reached shore soon after. _This coconut is so fragile and brittle. It's not a real coconut. It's the kind without the husk and stuff. I bet I could break it with just my head,_ thought Peter. And he did, but there were small rocks in the coconut along with the key to help weigh it down and when he threw it against his forehead it hurt like hell. _Geez!_ _How the hell did they get rocks in a coconut?_ But Peter was now in the lead and opened his box.

Michelle reached shore but by that time Matty had already found a rock, broken his coconut, found his key, and opened his box. Amy was still swimming to shore. It was a two horse-race between Matty and Peter. Peter only had a slight lead but had his bag untied before Matty got there. With only eight pieces the puzzle wasn't very difficult. He looked at the grooves in the ladder and found the rungs that would fit. He had his first rung in while Matty was still untying his pieces. He got on a roll and put one in after another. Before long Peter had his whole ladder together while Matty only had 3 pieces in. Peter had won his 3rd straight challenge and 3rd straight reward. Of course he had to take someone with him on the reward. He chose Michelle.

"I'll give you one more person."

"I gotta go with Lisa."

"Alright, you guys have fun, enjoy a nice reward."

"Actually Jeff, as you can see; I've gained a lot of weight out here and I don't think a gourmet restaurant would be very good for my _Survivor_ diet, so I'd like to give up my reward."

"Alright."

"I'd like to give it to Amy."

"Okay, Amy, get on up here."

Amy gave him a hug and said,

"Oh my God, thank you so much."

Peter knew he gained a couple points there with Amy. _It's odd how only a couple days ago she wouldn't even say "hi" to me. It's funny how much nicer people are to you when you give them things,_ thought Peter. Peter, Jenn, Matty, and Juan headed back to camp.

Peter gave up the reward for a few reasons. Even though nice acts like giving up your reward or taking someone on a reward hardly did you any good in the modern _Survivor_ game, he hoped it bought him a little bit of trust and good will from his shaky new alliance of five. But his real motive for giving up his reward and taking only members from his new alliance was not to buy good will; he wanted time alone to talk to Juan. Peter waited until Matty went spear fishing as he usually did before talking to Juan.

"I know the two of us haven't really had a lot of opportunity to bond, but I just feel like I could trust you and you know me, you, and Jenn; we're on the outs. We gotta stick together or we're done."

"Yeah."

"You know you're on the outs; that's why they left you out of that vote."

"I know."

"You know who was responsible for Buck going home? Michelle, she's running this whole show. But we're gonna take her out."

"How? We only have 3 people, they have 4."

"With this," said Peter as he showed Juan the hidden immunity idol.

"Is that-"

"It's the idol. We're gonna use it to take out Michelle. If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't show this to you, man. I wanna go to the end with you. We have to."

"I'm down."

"It's you and me in the final 2, right?"

"You have my word."

Juan was being genuine. He had no other options and he trusted Peter after Peter showed him the idol. He still didn't think Peter was the most deserving, but Juan knew he was in no position to take people out based on how deserving they were. The deal to take out Michelle was also very enticing.

Peter knew Juan trusted him. The idol was a good tool to build trust with people. Peter still wanted to stick with his alliance of five and build sub-alliances with everyone within that five, but he wanted options outside of that alliance. This was the game he had dreamed of playing. For almost his entire stay on _Survivor_ he had to scramble just to stay alive, but now he started to gain some power. Now he was aligned with everyone. Peter had to fill Jenn in.

"I just made a new ally," informed Peter.

"With Juan?"

"Yeah, it's the 3 of us against the 4 of them."

"Are we gonna try to flip someone?" asked Jenn.

"No, they think I'm with them, remember? Maybe I could do some damage from the inside. They have to think we're not tight still. If there's anyone around, we can't communicate."

"Okay."

Matty came in from spear fishing, Peter helped him gut the fish.

"You know, we're the two biggest physical threats left out here," mentioned Peter.

"Yeah I know."

"Pretty soon, we'll be targeted."

"That's how it goes."

"We gotta stick together if we wanna have a chance. Either that or one of us is gonna have to win immunity to the finals."

"That's true," said Matty.

Matty wasn't buying it. His whole game plan was to eliminate all the physical threats so in the end game; he'd be able to go on an immunity run into the finals. He didn't want to keep the threats around. In fact, Matty had been planning on telling his core alliance of four to forget about keeping Peter as a fifth and to take him out next. But he decided to keep the conversation with Peter a secret in case his plan didn't work and he needed Peter in the future.

Peter was feeling good. He was aligned with everyone, he had an idol, and he started to make some other deals for the end-game.

When Michelle, Amy, and Lisa returned from the reward, they started to explain what they ate and they talked about how great it was. Jenn; who had never been on a reward was irritated about how they talked about how great the food was. So she interrupted Michelle, saying sarcastically,

"Yeah, we all really care about how great your reward was."

"What's up with your tone?" asked Michelle.

"What's up with my tone? I've never been on a reward, that's what's up. I never get to eat all the nice food you do, so shut up about how great it was!"

"Hey if you wanna go on reward, go win a challenge."

"You didn't win this reward! You don't deserve to go. I deserve to go on reward! I don't get to eat. I don't know why I cook food for you people when you always get to eat!"

"You don't cook the food! In fact, you don't get water, you don't boil water, you don't fish, you don't do any work around camp, all you do is b*tch!" responded Michelle.

Jenn stomped off. It seemed like Jenn got into one of these arguments every day. She always complained about things, she never did work around camp on her own, she had a bad attitude about everything, and Peter loved it. _She's the perfect person to take to the finals. She's the only person left I might be able to beat._

After the whole argument with Jenn, Michelle and her core alliance of four met.

"I think we need to take out Peter now," said Matty.

"Why?" asked Michelle.

"Look, he's won the last 3 individual challenges, he's won 4 individual challenges overall, and he's gotten second in every other legit challenge since the merge; he's a huge physical threat. He could win immunity all the way to the final 2."

"That's a good point, if he doesn't win immunity today we have that option, but I still think we can trust him. I mean where does he have to go?"

"Maybe we can trust him, but we're set to take him to the final 5. If we do take him there then he only has to win 3 immunity challenges to get to the finals."

"We'll keep it in mind, but right now if we don't have to break our word I don't think we should."

Later on in the day Matty asked Jenn,

"Can you go get some firewood? We're running low."

"No I'm not going to do any work because apparently I don't do any work, any way," she responded directed at Michelle.

"All you're doing is proving my point," said Michelle.

"No, you're right. I'm going to listen to everything you said. I need to go 'win a challenge,' so I'm going to conserve my energy. From now on, I'll be doing no work at camp."

"What else is new?" asked Amy sarcastically.

Jenn was determined to win the next immunity challenge just to rub it in everyone's face. The challenge was a classic, six round combination of old challenges done this season played elimination style. Peter knew his new alliance was shaky and he wanted immunity to feel secure. Little did he know, Matty was determined to win the challenge to have an opportunity to blindside Peter.

The first round of the immunity challenge was a net maze used in one of the earlier \ tribal challenges, the first 6 to get through moved on. Peter and Matty immediately jumped into the lead as they through themselves through the maze, but it was Peter who came out first. Matty came out second and was followed by Michelle and Juan. Lisa, Amy, and Jenn were all struggling, but in a battle to not be last Lisa and Amy edged out Jenn.

The next round was a food eating challenge. Each castaway had to eat 5 grubs that were supposed to be a Polynesian delicacy. _There is no way this is a delicacy,_ thought Peter. They looked like giant, moving puss bags, but Peter swallowed them whole to avoid tasting them and finished first once again. Matty and Michelle finished next. Lisa quit so all Juan and Amy had to do was finish. After a lot of gagging and almost puking Amy finished, as did Juan.

In the next round, the five remaining castaways had to fill up their tube with coconut juice from the surrounding coconuts. Peter had won this challenge previously and used his old technique. He shook each coconut to find a juicy one and then cracked it at the top so the top worked as a funnel. He easily finished first once again. Michelle finished her tube next. Matty then finished his. In a tight race for the fourth and final spot, Amy came out on top and Juan was eliminated.

The next round was the table maze from the last immunity challenge. Peter was worried. He struggled on the maze in that challenge and finished close to last. But at the last immunity challenge, he was deprived of food, had a headache, and the nerves were getting to him because he knew it was a do or die challenge. This time around he was getting as much food as everyone else, he didn't think he _needed_ immunity, and had no headache. So when Jeff said, "Go," he calmly maneuvered his handle through and jumped to a lead. Michelle was close behind. He hit a dead end, but he calmly backed up his handle and got back on the right path. He finished the maze just ahead of Michelle and smashed his tile. Matty finished third, beating out Amy and moved on.

The second to last round was from the weapon shooting reward challenge. They would use the Ma'a (a sling used to propel rocks at enemies) to break 3 tiles. Peter had won this challenge before and felt good with the sling. After missing a couple he got calibrated and hit two in a row. Matty hit one and Michelle couldn't get close. Peter nicked his last tile but it wouldn't break allowing Matty to hit another tile. Finally Peter hit his last tile. Matty hit his 3rd and final tile before Michelle could score one.

For the final round, both men would be trapped in a locked cage. To escape they would have to build a pole out of twine and sticks found in the cage to retrieve five keys. Once they had all five keys, they would have to find the one that unlocks the cage. The first person to unlock their cage and step through would win immunity. Peter had taken the lead in this challenge earlier on in the season and knew the correct technique was to make a strong, sturdy pole rather than quickly assemble a weak one. So Peter got several sturdy sticks and tied each one together with 3 strings for each connection. It took a long time and Matty had his pole assembled much quicker and started on retrieving his keys. He reached the first one, but when he brought it back his pole broke and he had to rebuild. Peter's strategy paid off as he easily retrieved all five keys. Matty was able to rebuild fast enough to retrieve two but his pole broke again. Peter found his key and stepped through the gate.

"Peter wins immunity!" yelled Jeff.

"Congratulations Peter. For the 3rd straight time you will be safe at tribal council. You have a 1 in 6 shot at winning this game. As for the rest of you; one of you going home tonight."

Peter was delighted to win immunity. With his idol, theoretically he could be immune straight to the final five now, or if his new alliance of five stayed true; he had a straight shot to the final four. When he got back to camp, he sat in the shelter and started thinking about the end game and his alliances. As he was sitting in the shelter, he saw Matty, Michelle, Amy, and Lisa go off by themselves. _They've been doing that a lot lately. I wonder what they're talking about. Probably how the vote is gonna go down tonight. They are all in an alliance._ And then Peter realized, _wait, aren't I supposed to be in their alliance too?_ Peter realized that he was an outsider in his new alliance. _In fact, they might have wanted me gone tonight if I didn't win immunity._ He was irritated that he didn't notice this earlier. _It's so obvious that they're the core four. I'm just an unnecessary fifth. I should have known they weren't true to me. Why would they? They don't need me. Alliances are only successful if the members depend on each other, and I'm disposable. They're not taking me to the final five, or if they do; that's as far as I'm gonna get. There is no building sub-alliances within the five, those four are already too tight. I have to find a new alliance._ Peter tried to think of a new plan to get one of the four eliminated. He was glad he made the back-up alliance of 3 with Juan and Jenn, now. Juan and Jenn he could trust, because Juan and Jenn needed him. He formulated a plan. _The alliance of 4 might not need me, but hopefully they'll still listen to me._

Peter had to get them to split the vote. He thought about giving his idol to Jenn s she'd flaunt it around camp; convincing the core alliance to split the votes but he didn't trust that Jenn would give him back the idol if he gave it to her. Instead, while the core four were still in their meeting he talked to Jenn.

"We gotta talk fast, okay?"

"Okay."

"So, it's you or Juan, but I'm gonna try to get them to split the vote."

"Why would they do that? There's only four of them. If they split the vote we can control who goes home."

"Because they think I'm with them, remember? But to get them to split the vote they have to think you have the idol."

"How are we gonna do that?"

"Put a rock in your pocket, make sure it's noticeable, carry your bag around a lot to make it convincing. Meanwhile I'll say that I think you have it."

"Okay. Who are we voting for?"

"Michelle, we gotta chop off the head of the snake."

"Got it."

Peter also told Juan to vote for Michelle and informed him of his plan to get the other side to split the vote. It was no hard sell to Juan. Then came the hard part, Peter had to talk to the core four. They were still in their meeting and hadn't noticed his brief conversations with Juan and Jenn.

"Hey guys, who are we voting for?"

"We're thinking Jenn, just cause' she's such a drag around camp," said Michelle.

"I think Jenn should go, but I think she might have the idol," said Peter.

"Why do you say that?"

"She's been taking a lot of walks in the forest and just a second ago I saw her take something out of her bag and stick it in her pocket."

Jenn was in view and by that time she had listened to Peter and stuck a rock in her side pocket.

"Oh yeah, there's a little lump in her pocket," noticed Michelle.

"I'm just worried that if we all vote for her and she pulls out the idol, one of us is gone."

"That's true," said Michelle.

"We have the votes to do a split; 3 for Jenn and 2 for Juan. We could flush that idol right now."

"Or we could just vote for Juan," pointed out Matty. He was suspicious of Peter trying to change the plan. He had a gut feeling that he was up to something.

"Yeah, we could do that, but don't you want the idol gone?" asked Peter. He was wondering if he was pushing too hard for a split vote.

"I agree with Peter. I think she's got it. If we can flush the idol now, we should."

"Fine," said Matty reluctantly.

"Okay, so me, Michelle, and Matty will vote for Jenn. Lisa and Amy will vote for Juan," proposed Peter. He had to make sure he was supposed to be one of the 3 votes for Jenn instead of one of the 2 votes for Juan for the flip to work.

"That sounds good," said Amy.

"Okay cool," said Peter, relieved that people bought his plan. But once he left, Matty started to campaign against him.

"I thought he was just a fifth, now he's calling the shots," said Matty to Michelle.

"He has a good point; he noticed the idol when no one else did. He just saved us. We were about to vote for Jenn. She would have played the idol and one of us would have gone home. WE owe him a thanks. Now we're in a position to flush it."

"How can you trust him when he's lied so much in this game? What if he's just getting us to split the vote so he can go with Jenn and Juan and vote one of us off?"

"I get that he's lied in this game and I don't trust him in general, but right now we can trust him because he's got no one else. He's not with Jenn and Juan. If he were with Jenn, he would have told her to vote for Buck at the last tribal. If he were with Jenn; she wouldn't be pissed at him. I mean have you even seen them talk in the last 3 days? If he were with Jenn they would have to communicate somehow. He's not with Jenn or Juan. I'm not worried about him flipping because he's got nowhere to flip to."

"But-"

"End of discussion. This split vote is the safest plan."

Peter was excited for tribal council. Once again he knew he wasn't going home and for thanks to his alliances with literally everyone in the tribe, he could choose who went home if his plan worked. He had the power to choose who went home. But Peter knew he had to keep Jenn and Juan safe because they were the only alliance who would stay true to him. Jenn was also the only person left he could beat. His plan for the rest of the game was to take out Michelle at this tribal council which would create a 3-3 tie between the new alliances at the next tribal council. It would be Matty, Amy, and Lisa on one side, and Peter, Jenn, and Juan on the other. But Peter predicted that the other alliance of 3 would all vote for him since he had betrayed them, in which case he would play the idol and send Matty home. Then his alliance of 3 would have the majority and Peter would take them to the final 3. He also had final 2 deals with both Jenn and Juan so he'd be guaranteed a spot in the final two. But for the plan to work this tribal council was crucial.

Even though Michelle said that they were going with the split vote plan, Matty wasn't on board. For his personal game, Matty needed Peter gone and the split vote plan gave Peter the option of siding with Jenn and Juan. Michelle thought that there was no way Jenn was willing to work with Peter, but Matty knew anything in this game could be an act. He considered swapping his vote to Juan to ensure at least a tie if Peter flipped to the other side, but he knew if he swapped his vote and Peter didn't flip, Michelle would be pissed at him. As he walked to tribal council he hadn't yet made up his mind.

When the Ettenan tribe arrived at tribal council, Jeff pointed out,

"I gotta say Peter; you have been on a tear. You've won the last 4 individual challenges; you've been immune at the last 3 tribal councils. Do you think that puts a target on your back?"

"Well, if there weren't one you certainly painted one on right now by saying, 'hey, you know Peter's been winning all these challenges. He's a big threat.' I really appreciate that Jeff," said Peter sarcastically.

"Well, I'm just pointing it out. Do you think Peter's become a threat in this game, Amy?"

"He's already been a threat. He's done well at all the challenges. He's certainly a physical threat."

"Well, there you go, Peter. Matty, a couple tribals ago; the alliances were split along tribal lines. Is that still the case?"

"No, not really; there's a new alliance."

"Mind telling me what it is, Michelle?"

"There's no sense in hiding it; the new alliance consists of myself, Matty, Amy, Lisa, and Peter."

"Peter? The same guy everyone was willing to give up a feast just to beat him in the immunity challenge a couple days ago? How does that feel Peter?"

"It feels good. You win a couple immunity challenges, you stick around awhile and eventually something changes. This game is so unpredictable."

"Wow, well in that case Jenn and Juan; you're on the outs."

"Yup," said Juan.

"So Jenn, do you think it's you tonight?"

"Yeah, I think I'm the target."

"Think you're going home?"

"I have a trick or two up my sleeve," she said with a smirk.

"Well with a fair bit of uncertainty about what's going to happen, let's get to it. Peter, you have the immunity necklace. As always you can choose to give it up."

"Not this time, Jeff."

"Alright, it is time to vote. Amy, you're up."

Once everyone voted and Jeff tallied them up, he announced,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

Everyone looked to Jenn, but she did not stand up.

"I'll read the votes."

"First vote-Jenn."

"Juan."

"Juan. 2 votes Juan, 1 vote Jenn."

"Jenn. We're tied: 2 votes Jenn, 2 votes Juan."

"Michelle."

Michelle was confused. _Who voted for me? Maybe Jenn did._

"Michelle. Tied again: 2 votes Juan, 2 votes Jenn, 2 votes Michelle, 1 vote left."

 _What the heck? I guess Jenn and Juan voted for me,_ thought Michelle. She was sweating. Her heart was pounding. _Maybe Matty was right._

"The 12th person voted out of Survivor Bora-Bora and the 3rd member of our jury- Michelle. That's 3, that's enough. You'll have to bring me your torch."

Michelle got up in disbelief.

"Nice job, Peter. Didn't see that coming," she said as she walked over to Jeff.

As Jeff snuffed her torch, he said,

"Michelle, your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

 **Vote:**

Michelle-Jenn

Matty-Jenn

 **2 votes Jenn**

Amy-Juan

Lisa-Juan

 **2 votes Juan**

Jenn-Michelle

Juan-Michelle

Peter-Michelle

 **3 votes Michelle**

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 14

X-eliminated

Contestants:

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon **X** Henry Kaider **X**

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren **X**

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson **X** Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee **X**

Alicia Brown **X** Juan Rodriguez

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne **X**

Joanne Lopez **X**

Diane Baxter **X**

Jon Kelly **X**

The last tribal council was bittersweet for Peter; although the vote went his way, he had put himself in a risky position. Before the last vote, Peter was aligned with everyone and had full control of who went home. That was the game he had wanted to play the whole time. Although he knew he wouldn't be able to keep 2 warring alliances both loyal to him forever, it was still sad to leave that position. Now Peter's cards were on the table; it was Matty, Amy, and Lisa on one side, Peter, Jenn, and Juan on the other. But Peter planned on using the idol to get him through the tie. He figured the other alliance still thought Jenn had the idol so they wouldn't vote for her, and they were mad at him for flipping, so they'd probably vote for him. So as long as the alliances stayed where they were, Peter wouldn't have to scramble.

Matty was frustrated after tribal council. _I knew I should've swapped my vote to Juan, I knew he was flipping! Why did I listen to Michelle and go with Peter's plan. Now I've lost the majority so close to the end._ Matty's chilled out; happy go lucky attitude was gone. He knew how much his family needed this money. The game was serious now that he was so close to the end. He called together Amy and Lisa.

"What happened?" asked Lisa.

"Peter flipped. He got us to split the votes, which gave him the opportunity to take one of us out. He got us," explained Matty.

"Why did Michelle trust that liar?" asked Amy angrily.

"There's nothing we can do about that now. She's gone. We have to take down Peter ourselves," announced Matty.

"We have 3 and they have 3, it'll go down to a tie unless someone flips," realized Lisa.

"Or someone uses the idol," said Matty.

"Do you think Jenn has it?" asked Lisa.

"Peter could've been lying about that too," said Amy.

"Jenn would have played it if she had it," concluded Lisa.

"I don't think so. She knew she'd be safe if Peter flipped. She could still have it," countered Matty.

"If Jenn has it, all we have to do is not vote for Jenn," said Lisa.

"Good, then we'll vote for Peter. I'll be so happy to take out his lying ass," said Amy.

"Okay, so we'll all vote for Peter," clarified Matty.

Amy and Lisa agreed.

Peter and Juan had a talk around the campfire.

"Glad she's gone, uh?" asked Peter.

"Yeah, I've wanted her out for awhile. I'm glad you kept your word."

"You know, I've lied to a lot of people in this game, but they were all people who were against me. But if I give you my word and you stay loyal to me; that word is good."

"I believe you. So what's the plan for the next tribal?"

"Well, it's gonna be tie. You, me, and Jenn will vote for Matty because he's the biggest physical threat and the 3 of them will vote for one of us."

"Who?"

"Probably me because they thought I was in an alliance with them but I flipped."

"So you'll use the idol and Matty will go home," said Juan.

"Yeah, but the thing is: we had this same situation at the old Ganando tribe. The alliances were split, I had the idol, and Jenn was my ally. I didn't tell her about the idol, so she thought we were going to a purple rock and she flipped her vote. I don't want her to do that again."

"Do you think we should tell her about the idol?" asked Juan.

"Yeah, I think so, but we have to tell her we just found it."

"Alright, we'll do it in the morning."

When the tribe woke up in the morning, the fire was out. Peter had to start it again. Peter and Matty had become the designated fire starters and fisherman for the tribe. Once the fire was going and everyone ate breakfast Peter, Juan, and Jenn started to talk.

"Okay, Jenn, this is what's going on next tribal," informed Peter.

"Okay," said Jenn.

"So me, you, and Juan are all going to vote for Matty because he's the biggest threat, but Matty, Amy, and Lisa are all probably going to vote for me."

"That's a tie. We're gonna go to a purple rock."

"I know that's what I wanted to avoid. Which is why I found this-" said Peter as he took out the hidden immunity idol.

"You found it?!" asked Jenn.

"Yeah, just today; so we won't have to go through a purple rock and after this we'll have the majority."

"Cool."

"If this works out; we'll be the final 3," said Peter.

"Awesome," said Jenn.

Jenn was thinking about flipping to avoid a purple rock, but now that she knew Peter had the idol she felt relieved. She was pretty sure the other alliance would vote for Peter and if he played the idol; Matty would go home. She felt safe now and discarded her thoughts of flipping. Now all her attention was on winning the next reward challenge. She had never experienced a reward. In fact she had lost every challenge, and she badly wanted to go on reward to eat. Since she was the only one who had never experienced a reward she felt entitled to it. _I deserve a reward; I have starved out here more than anyone. If I lose another one, I'll be pissed._

The reward challenge was a dirty one. The remaining 6 castaways were taken to a mud pit on the island. They would have ten minutes to use their bodies to collect as much mud as possible, race through obstacles, and put the mud in a bucket. After ten minutes the 3 people with the heaviest buckets would win reward. The only rule was they were not allowed to use their arms or hands to carry mud. The reward was one of the best thus far. It was an overnight trip to a fancy resort and spa were they would clean up, receive a massage, go in a Jacuzzi, have their hair done, and then eat the resort's gourmet food.

Peter immediately formulated a strategy. While after every trip everyone would take a lot of time to get as much mud as possible off their bodies, Peter would just load up the more solid mud in the crook of his neck and his back and just put that mud in his bucket instead of wasting time to get the miniscule amounts of liquid mud off of the rest of his body. That way he could make more trips to get the larger loads of mud that's heavier anyway. He knew his strategy was working when after the first five minutes he had more than double the amount of mud than almost everyone else.

"Peter with a huge lead, if he keeps it up; the bucket won't be big enough to hold all his mud. It's a battle for second and third place at this point," announced Jeff.

Matty couldn't understand what was happening. He was making trips as fast as he could and loading up as much mud as possible on his body. He was wiping his body clean of mud every time he hit his bucket and still Peter was way ahead of him. _How is he winning? He's not even wiping the mud off of his legs, or chest, or anything other than his back,_ wondered Matty.

Lisa was trying to ignore Jeff talking about Peter's lead. _You just have to place third; you just have to place third,_ thought Lisa. She was using her long hair to her advantage.

Jenn was trying as hard as she could but she was still around last place. _I need to win this challenge to keep me sane,_ she thought. Nearing the end of the competition she had a large load on her head that would put her in the top 3, but going through an obstacle she lost almost all of it.

Peter dug deep into the pit to find the more solid mud and continued to build his lead. He navigated the obstacles easily while bending over to balance his mud. With a minute left; his bucket was completely full and Peter was trying to balance the mud above the brim of the bucket. Finally the challenge was over and it was time to weigh the buckets. Jeff weighed Peter's bucket first. On the way to the scale, some of the mud fell out. Jeff didn't seem too worried about it since it was so obvious Peter had the lead.

"Despite some of the mud falling out; Peter weighs in at 33.6 pounds. Peter how did you get that much mud?"

"I channeled my inner piglet, Jeff," responded Peter.

"Okay, Amy's next; Amy weighing in at 24.2 pounds."

"Juan weighing in at 26.6 pounds; that moves him into second."

"Matty weighs in at 28.1 pounds; he moves into second, Juan bumped down to third, and Amy's out."

"Jenn weighs in at 20.8 pounds; not even close. Here's how we stand: Peter's in first, Matty's in second; they're going on reward. Juan is sitting on 3rd with 26.6 pounds with 1 person left. Lisa, you're up."

Jeff put Lisa's bucket on the scale. It was wavering around 26 and 27 pounds. Once it finally stopped moving, Jeff revealed,

"This is as close as it gets. Juan at 26.6 pounds, Lisa needs to beat that to go on reward. She's got 26.7 pounds. She beat Juan by .1 pounds."

"Peter, Matty, Lisa congratulations, enjoy your reward."

When Juan, Amy, and Jenn returned to camp, Jenn was unstable. _I couldn't have lost another challenge. No, No! It's not fair! Why does everyone else get to go on reward but not me? It's my turn. Don't they understand that? Why do they all get to eat but not me? All I asked for was one challenge and I couldn't get it. It's not fair, it's not fair, and it's not fair!_ Jenn was nearly in tears once she started to speak to her other tribemates.

"I-I've never won a challenge, I've never been on reward; I just wanted one you know. Just one."

"I know, Jenn," comforted Amy.

"No, you don't know! You've been on like a thousand rewards; you don't know what it's like to lose _**EVERY SINGLE CHALLENGE!**_ Everybody but me has been on like a billion rewards. It's not fair!"

Juan couldn't believe Jenn was being such a sore loser. _Maybe if she got close to winning this reward that would make sense, but she wasn't even close. I lost by .1 pounds,_ thought Juan. Her attitude disgusted him.

"If you want to go on reward, go win one," he said.

"You think I haven't tried?" cried Jenn hysterically. "I try and I try and I try! I never win! I'm so done with this game. All you do is starve, and you're wet and miserable; it's no fun! I wanna go home, I'm serious I want you guys to vote me out."

"Jenn, sweetie, we have 6 days left; you can't quit now," comforted Amy.

"I don't care! I hate this!" screamed Jenn before she stomped off to the well to cry.

"You're gonna regret this, honey," said Amy.

After Matty, Lisa, and Peter had gotten their massages they ate dinner. While they were eating, Peter decided to try to make a move so he could keep his idol until final 5: the last time it could be used.

"I know you guys are mad about me flipping last tribal, but I think we need to be logical about this," said Peter.

"What are you proposing?" asked Lisa.

"Alright, I think we all know what's going to happen at the next tribal council. As it stands now, we're facing a 3-3 tie."

"Yes."

"If it's a tie, we go to rocks. Now no one from my alliance is flipping and I'm willing to put my life in this game into a bag of rocks. I don't know if you two are willing to do that."

"Why exactly are you willing to go to a purple rock tiebreaker? You've sold people out before, why not flip again?" asked Matty.

"I appreciate you verbalizing your distrust for me," said Peter sarcastically.

"Just being honest," said Matty with a laugh. It was odd; although strategically Matty and Peter were rivals, they appreciated each other's company and could crack jokes with one another.

"Okay, seriously: I can't flip again because then I'd have screwed over literally everyone in this game and on the jury. There would be no plausible way I could win. My chances are slim enough as it is, but if you two vote with us against Amy; you'd have only pissed off 1 person and you'd guarantee your safety tonight."

"But then at final 5, we'd be screwed," pointed out Matty.

"You could be screwed at final 6 if we go to rocks. Are you really willing to put your life in jeopardy in this game to have a fifty-fifty chance at gaining the majority?"

"We're about as willing as you are," responded Matty.

"I'll take you to the final 3; I'll give you my word."

"Frankly, that means nothing anymore. Can I talk to Lisa privately?" asked Matty.

"Sure."

Peter dipped into the Jacuzzi. _That went well,_ thought Peter sarcastically. _Pretty sure I'll have to play my idol._

But Lisa was more convinced to flip than Peter thought.

"I know you don't trust him, but I don't wanna go to rocks," she said to Matty.

"I know it's scary, but it's the only way we have a chance at winning. We can't vote out Amy; that will give them the majority, and you know that final 3 deal is bullSh*t. Besides I don't believe that none of them are flipping. We might be able to gain the majority and avoid a purple rock," assured Matty.

"Okay."

"You gotta trust me, Lisa. I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure you, me, and Amy are all in the final 5."

"I trust you."

The two of them then joined Peter in the hot tub. Back at camp, Jenn was still sitting at the well feeling sorry for herself.

 _Why does everyone but me get to go on reward? Why? It's not fair! I deserve to eat too; I'm starving. I'm starving more than everyone else. But I don't wanna quit, I'll just have a reward of my own,_ she thought.

She waited until both Juan and Lisa were away from the shelter for before she took the food. She took a pan, waterproof matches, some rice, flour, spices, oil, and some beans. She found a spot in the woods to take it all to and had a meal of her own. _I deserve this,_ she told herself.

The next day Matty, Peter, and Lisa returned from their reward to find several of their supplies missing. Everyone decided to have a tribe meeting.

"Let's put all alliances aside for a second and find out what happened here; we _all_ need those supplies," said Matty.

"I agree. This stuff didn't walk away and it wasn't swept up by the tide; someone took it. Whoever did it, if you fess up now; there will be no consequences," added Peter.

No one spoke up.

"Okay, you don't have to fess up; just make sure all the stuff is returned before the next immunity challenge," said Matty.

Jenn didn't feel guilty at all. She had no urge to fess up. She was enjoying her extra rations of food. _They all came back from a reward and I just had mine. What's the difference?_ She thought. She considered using her extra supplies as a tool to gain trust much like the hidden immunity idol.

Matty and Peter started talking.

"I can't believe someone would actually take those supplies," said Matty.

"I know. That's just selfish."

"Who do you think it was?"

"Well, it couldn't have been you, me, or Lisa."

"Yeah, when we left for the reward challenge we had just used the pan to cook some beans," remembered Matty.

"That narrows it down to Juan, Jenn, and Amy."

"There's no way it was Juan; he's all about fairness, deservingness, and hard-work."

"Yeah, it wasn't Juan."

"So Jenn or Amy?"

"Or both."

"I don't think so."

"Me neither."

"Amy's got kind of an attitude, but I don't think she'd do this. Do you think Jenn did it because she lost the reward?"

"I can't see anyone else doing it," said Peter.

Peter started talking to Juan a while later. Juan told him about how upset Jenn was and how she wanted to quit.

"She said she wanted to quit?" asked Peter.

"Yeah."

"Jesus, somebody's got a case of crybabyitis."

"I want her out. She doesn't deserve to be here if she doesn't even want to be here. She wants to quit, she doesn't work at camp, and she's untrustworthy."

"I know. She's weak. I want her gone too, but now is not the time. If we take her out now, we'll give up the majority. But we'll take her out as soon as we don't need her vote."

"Okay."

 _Jenn's weakness is screwing up my strategy. Juan almost flipped to the other side just because of her attitude. She needs to get it together,_ thought Peter. _But for now; things are okay. Juan's still on board. I just have to make sure Matty doesn't win immunity. Hopefully I can win another one._

Peter was excited for the next immunity challenge. He had won the last 5 individual challenges; which tied the record for most consecutive individual challenges won. He was hoping to win the next challenge to break the record, but the immunity challenge was right up Matty's alley. All 6 castaways would have to swim down and race to release 10 bags of puzzle pieces underwater. Once they had all 10 bags they could swim to shore and use the puzzle pieces to solve a puzzle. The first person to solve the puzzle wins immunity.

Peter knew Matty's ability to hold his breath underwater would give him a lead, but Peter was hoping the puzzle was difficult enough for Peter to catch up. Once the challenge started everyone dove down underwater. Peter untied his first bag quickly and looped it around his arm and moved on to the second one. Peter could untie knots quickly which gave him a small lead. He kept his lead as he untied his second, third, and fourth bags before coming up for air. It was clear that it was a two-horse race between him and Matty. Juan, Jenn, Lisa, and Amy had all fallen behind. They had to come up for air after each bag they untied and on several occasions; came up with no bag at all. Matty had not gone up for air and had since moved onto his fifth bag. Peter knew it was wise not to go back down quickly, but to catch his breath. Matty was still under by the time Peter went down.

Peter was able to untie 2 more bags and start on a third before resurfacing. Matty had just surfaced for the first time before that. Matty had 2 more bags left, while Peter had 4. Peter went down first and finished 2 more bags before coming up again. By that time Matty had just finished his final bag and started the swim to shore. Matty was half way in by the time Peter dove down again. He finished his last bags barely before coming up and starting the swim to shore. Matty had already started on his puzzle.

Matty knew the other alliance was probably going to target him as the biggest physical threat and more of the leader than Lisa or Amy, so he knew he needed to win. Although he reassured Lisa that she'd be safe, he was worried she might flip. He also did not want to be vulnerable in a purple rock tiebreaker. He felt he had quite a lead over Peter, but still hurried on his puzzle.

Peter scrambled to get his bags open and start the puzzle. Matty already had several pieces in. Peter got on a rhythm putting pieces in and had caught up quite a bit. But Matty only had two pieces left while Peter had five and he didn't panic. He took his time and finished his puzzle shortly before Peter; winning immunity.

 _Damn it. I was so close to that 6_ _th_ _challenge win in arrow. That would have been such a cool come from behind win. And the worst person that could have won, won. Oh well, as long as one of them goes home; that's all that matters,_ thought Peter.

Peter had been noticing Jenn go in the forest by herself more and more. Occasionally, he would see smoke. He was almost certain Jenn stole the supplies. _The only thing is: Jenn doesn't know how to start a fire. How could she cook?_ thought Peter. Then he checked their matches. There was a box missing. _Wow, Jenn._

Jenn was having an extra meal with her stolen supplies when she decided to make a move to earn Juan's trust. She came back to camp and asked Juan to take a walk with her.

"I have something to show you," said Jenn.

"What is it?"

"You'll see."

She took him to her secret stolen supply stash.

"Now we can both eat. We both deserve it. I only showed you because I trust you. You can't tell anyone else, said Jenn trying to mimic what Peter told her when he showed her his idol. But the the result was not the same.

"You stole the supplies?!" asked Juan.

"Yeah, and now we can both use them. Just the two of us. You can't tell anyone else."

"Jenn, no, this is ridiculous! I'm not going to eat when no one else can! Tell the rest of the tribe right now!" demanded Juan.

"Juan it can be our secret."

"No!"

Juan ran off to tell Peter.

"Jenn stole all the food and supplies," informed Juan.

"I was thinking that too."

"No, I know she has it. She showed it to me."

"She showed it to you? Why?"

"She wanted it to be our secret; to earn trust or something."

"She's so stupid."

"She's not stupid, she's selfish. I've started to forget what my goal in this game was. I need to take out the people who are undeserving. She needs to go tonight."

"I know, I know. I want her gone too, but we need her vote for the next couple tribal councils if we want the majority. I'll tell you what: we'll keep her for the next 2 tribal councils while we need her and she'll be gone at final 4."

"No, she doesn't deserve another day in this game."

"Juan, you're not thinking rationally here."

"My mind is made up, Peter. And if you manage to keep her this tribal council; I'll be against you too. Forget about the majority," threatened Juan.

"Okay, okay. There's no need for it to get to that. You can have your way; I'll vote for Jenn. Just calm down, buddy. It's Jenn you're mad at, not me."

"I know."

Juan then talked to Matty, Lisa, and Amy.

"Jenn just showed me all the supplies she stole," he informed then.

"So she did take them," concluded Lisa.

"Yeah, we have to take her out. She doesn't deserve to be here; she wanted to quit, she stole the stuff, she doesn't work around camp, she has to go. The 4 of us have to vote for her."

"Yeah, but I think she has the idol," said Amy.

 _That's right. They don't know Peter has it,_ remembered Juan.

"We have 4 votes right here; we have the numbers to split the vote in case she plays it or passes it off to Peter."

Juan didn't want Peter to go home, so he made sure Jenn was the target of the split vote.

"But if she doesn't play the idol; she's gone at the revote, right?" asked Juan.

"Yeah, to flush the idol," confirmed Matty.

"Okay," said Juan. _I know she won't play the idol because Peter has it. That way Jenn will still go home,_ he told himself. He didn't want to put Peter in danger.

"So we'll have the women vote Jenn, men vote Peter?" suggested Matty.

"That's the easiest to remember," said Lisa.

"Okay, that's what we'll do," confirmed Matty.

Although he told Juan he would join him in voting out Jenn, Peter had no intention of voting for Jenn. Other than his own immediate life in the game, keeping Jenn safe was his biggest priority. She was the only way Peter had a chance at winning in the end. Peter wanted to play the idol on himself, but if Juan voted for Jenn with the other alliance he would have to play the idol on her. He knew Juan wouldn't trust him if he saved Jenn, but Peter accepted the fact that he couldn't go into the final 5 with a majority and Jenn's safety was more important than Juan's trust. Peter was convinced he had to play the idol on Jenn until he had an unnerving thought. _What if they let Juan vote for Jenn, and the 3 of them vote for me? If I give the idol to Jenn, I would be pulling an Erik._

Once Juan left, Matty talked to his allies.

"I know we told Juan, we'd target Jenn, but I think we can use this opportunity to take out Peter," he proposed.

"Are you talking about letting Juan vote for Jenn and the 3 of us vote for Peter?" asked Lisa.

"No, we have to split the vote in case one of them plays the idol. But if the idol isn't played; instead of voting for Jenn at the revote, we vote for Peter."

"Are you sure you want to split the vote? What if Juan wanted us to split the vote, but he's actually voting with them?" asked Amy.

"Juan's not lying. I know how he operates. He's all about keeping people who deserve to be here and taking out people who don't. He's being genuine."

"Okay so same plan, but we target Peter at the split vote?" asked Lisa.

"Exactly."

"What about Juan? Are we letting him know?" asked Amy.

"No, we don't need to worry about Juan. We can let him vote for Jenn at the revote; we'll still have the numbers," explained Matty.

Peter started to question whether or not to give Jenn the idol. And then he realized, _if Juan votes with the; they'll have 4 votes and I'll have 2. They'll have the numbers to split the vote between me and Jenn. I have to stop that._ Peter formulated a plan. He talked to Juan.

"So is the other alliance down to vote off Jenn?" asked Peter suspiciously.

"Yeah, she's the target."

"Juan, don't lie to me. Are they splitting the votes?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to worry; she's the target."

"Who's voting for who?"

"Matty and I voting for you, and Amy and Lisa are voting for Jenn. As long as you vote for Jenn and Jenn doesn't vote for you; she'll go home."

"What if she catches wind of the plan and votes for me? Then we have a tie."

"I made sure she's the target. They want her out because they still think she has the idol," assured Juan.

"They want me out more than her, if we go to a revote after a tie; I'm their target. They're just lying to you so you help them split the vote."

"You think they're lying to me?"

"I know they are, but _you_ don't need to split the vote. I'm not _your_ target; Jenn is. And you know you don't need to split the vote for Jenn to go home because she doesn't have the idol; I do."

"I know that."

"If you don't need to split the vote; why help them? Don't you want Jenn out?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Then if you swap your vote; you'll break the tie and Jenn will go home," assured Peter.

"I'm not sure; I don't like changing my vote."

"That's fine; it's your vote, but you gotta understand that I don't want to go to a revote. I trust _you,_ but I don't trust _them._ "

"I get that."

"If you stick with the split vote plan and vote for me; I gotta play the idol so you're vote won't count anyway."

"That's true."

"But if you switch your vote; I won't have to play the idol and I'll give you the idol at final 5."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, you'll be guaranteed final 4, I told you this is our idol. I'm not afraid to hand it over; you just have to do me this one favor."

"Alright, let me think about it."

Although Peter didn't put it that way; he basically gave Juan an ultimatum: switch his vote to Jenn and get the idol at final 5 or vote for Peter and have his vote not count. He also made sure to tell Juan that the split vote was unnecessary in the first place. Of course, Peter wasn't actually going to vote for Jenn, but if Juan swapped his vote to Jenn then that would be 3 votes for Jenn. If he played the idol on her, then his and Jenn's 2 votes would become a majority. _If Juan even flips. If he doesn't then giving up the idol is my death sentence. If this doesn't work it could be the dumbest move of all time. Maybe I shouldn't give up my idol to Jenn. Not if it sends me home._

Peter was questioning whether or not to go through with his plan, but he wanted his plan ready if he decided to execute it. If he could; he would vote for Matty, but with him immune Peter had a choice between Juan, Amy, and Lisa. He decided to make his decision based on who would be hardest to flip at the final 5. Once he made his decision, he explained the situation to Jenn and instructed her who to vote for.

Juan was wondering whether to flip or not. _It seems like a good idea. I'll get an idol and Jenn will go home for sure, but things seem to go wrong when you change your vote. Peter's deal just seems too good to be true._

Peter was pondering his own options. _This is a huge risk. If Juan doesn't flip, I'm screwed. I need Jenn in this game if I want a chance at winning. I don't know. I could go home tonight._

Both Peter and Juan went to tribal council with several questions in mind. They both hardly heard Jeff as he asked questions about the storm that had been hitting them for three last few days. Peter finally started paying attention when Jeff asked him,

"Peter, you've been immune at the last 3 tribal councils, are you worried someone might say, 'this might be our only chance to take out Peter; we should take it?'"

"I'm a lot more worried about now that you pointed it out," responded Peter.

"Are you saying the thought didn't cross your mind?"

"I just don't think being a physical threat is my biggest worry right now."

"Matty, how badly do you think you needed this immunity?"

"Well, I think I was the target of the other alliance, so I think I needed it. But it was also nice not to come in second for once."

"Amy, Matty said he was the target of the other alliance. Can you tell me what the alliances are?"

"It's me, Matty, and Lisa on one side and Peter, Jenn, and Juan on the other."

"So in that case it should be a tie tonight."

"I don't know, a lot of stuff has been happening."

"Lisa, do you think anyone from these 2 threesomes is going to flip?"

"There's been talk about flipping, but it's hard to trust anyone says in this game."

"Anybody willing to fess up to being swing vote?"

No one raised their hands.

"Well, if no one flips then presumably we'll have a tie. In that case the hidden immunity idol

would be the only thing to prevent that tie. Matty, any theories on who has it?"

"There are some theories but none of them are concrete. Even if we knew who had it for sure;

we wouldn't know if they'd play it and we wouldn't know if they'd give it to someone else."

"Well it seems like there is a lot of question surrounding this vote and this is certainly a very pivotal tribal council. I'm sure you are all eager to see the outcome so let's get to it. Matty, you have the individual immunity necklace. As always you can choose to keep it or assign it to someone else."

"I'm keepin' it, Jeff."

"Cannot vote for Matty, everyone else is fair game, it is time to vote. Juan, you're up."

When it was Peter's turn to vote he said,

"I just think you'd be the hardest to flip at the final 5."

When Matty voted he said,

"Got nothing against you, bro. I just think you're my biggest threat. Should've won immunity today."

Once everyone was done voting and Jeff tallied the votes, he came back and said,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. If someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

People were looking at Peter and Jenn. _You gotta make big moves,_ Peter told himself. He stood up. He walked over to Jeff but turned around before handing him the idol.

"People have said that I can't be trusted and that I'm not loyal. I'm hoping I can prove them wrong. Jenn, get up here."

Jenn walked up, handed the idol over to Jeff, and they both sat down. Juan was shocked.

"Peter?" he asked.

"I had to do what was best for my game," explained Peter.

"The rules of _Survivor_ state that if someone plays a hidden immunity idol, then any votes cast against that person will not count and the person with the next highest number of votes will be sent home. This _is_ a hidden immunity idol. All votes cast for Jenn will not count. I'll read the votes."

 _Holy Sh*t, I hope Juan flipped,_ thought Peter.

"First vote-Peter."

 _No, not this way. Damn it. Why did I do this?_ Peter couldn't bring his face from out of his sweaty palms. He was trembling and legitimately worried that he would have a heart attack.

"Jenn-does not count."

"Jenn-does not count. Still 1 vote Peter."

"Jenn-does not count. That's 3 votes Jenn, none of them count. Still at 1 vote Peter."

"Juan. 1 vote Peter, 1 vote Juan, 1 vote left."

Juan threw his hands to his forehead. _What the hell is going on?_

The 14th person voted out of Survivor Bora-Bora and the fourth member of our jury-Juan. Juan that's 2. Tonight, that's enough. You'll have t bring me your torch.

Juan was still shocked. His legs were wobbly when he stood up and he stumbled over to Jeff.

As Jeff snuffed his torch, he said,

"Juan, your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

 **Vote**

Juan-Jenn

Amy-Jenn

Lisa-Jenn

 **3 votes Jenn-voided by idol**

Matty-Peter

 **1 vote Peter**

Jenn-Juan

Peter-Juan

 **2 votes Juan**

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 15

X-eliminated

Contestants:

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon **X** Henry Kaider **X**

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren **X**

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson **X** Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee **X**

Alicia Brown **X** Juan Rodriguez **X**

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne **X**

Joanne Lopez **X**

Diane Baxter **X**

Jon Kelly **X**

Peter breathed a huge sigh of relief as he exited tribal council. One of his biggest gambles yet paid off. But the feeling of relief was short-lived. Although eliminating Juan was a big move, it didn't change the fact that Peter and Jenn were outnumbered 3-2. Peter knew he had to flip someone to survive the next vote, because he was probably the next target.

Jenn was shocked when she saw 3 votes against her. Although Peter informed her that that would happen, Jenn didn't really believe it. She felt so much more vulnerable. _I can be voted out just like everyone else. In fact, if I didn't play the idol; I would have been voted out. I have to make sure that doesn't happen. I know one way to keep myself one day longer._

When the Ettenan tribe returned to camp, they celebrated making the final 5. _It's amazing. We went into the merge Ganando tribe vs. Perdiendo tribe. Since then so much has happened, yet it's the final five and it's still Ganando tribe vs. Perdiendo tribe. And we're still outnumbered,_ thought Peter. But he tried to enjoy the feat of making it to the final 5. _We started out with 20 people. 15 of them are gone now. And I'm responsible for almost all of them leaving._ It was more of a scary thought than one to be proud of. _How the hell am I supposed to win over a jury?_

The final five celebrated by drinking some saved wine from a reward challenge. After several hours, they went to bed. But not before Jenn approached the Perdiendo tribe.

"I want to help you guys take out Peter."

"We're happy to have it," Matty said with a smile. _He's gone this time._

Peter woke early as usual. Back home, he always slept in, but when he'd go camping his inner alarm would always force him to wake early. Peter's body thought this was one big camping trip. Peter would go looking for the new hidden idol as the final 5 was the last time it could be played, but Jeff did not tell them that the hidden immunity idol would go back into the game as he always did when an idol was played. So Peter knew there was no idol to look for. They had done that several times before. If an idol is played close enough to the last time it could be played, several times no new one would be hidden. This happened in _Survivor Caramoan_ and _Survivor China._ But he was sure no one else thought of this and went to work with creating another fake idol. When he was finished it looked nearly identical to his first.

Peter planned on flipping someone to his side, but he had no time because right after breakfast they had to head out to their last reward challenge.

Everyone knew the challenge would have a very special reward because the rewards were supposed to get better the farther you go into the game.

"Before you get to today's challenge, how about I show you what you're playing for."

"Alright," answered the final 5.

"35 days is a long time to go without any love from back home, so for today's challenge you will be fighting for time with your loved ones. Matty, here's your girlfriend: Christa."

Matty ran to Christa and picked her up. They were both crying as they held and kissed each other.

"Matty, how much did you miss Christa?"

"Oh my God, man. I missed her so much. In this game you start to forget that there's people back home who love you and how much you love them. I don't love anyone more than I love Christa."

They then stepped aside.

"Jenn, here's your friend: April."

Their embrace wasn't as emotional. They were more like giggly schoolgirls than emotional wrecks.

"Jenn, you and April are pretty close. How good is it to see her?"

"It's nice to have a reminder of home."

"Amy, who do you want to see?" asked Jeff.

"My dad," choked Amy.

"Here's your dad: Kevin."

They hugged each other and cried. They spoke in their native tongue and told each other that they love each other.

"Kevin, how weird is it to see your daughter like this?"

"I miss her very much. I no think she make good out here, but she impress me. Very proud."

It was obvious that English wasn't his first language, but everyone understood what he was trying to say.

"Lisa, I know you want your man. Here's your husband: Jim."

They kissed each other and cried as Lisa wrapped her legs around him.

 _Ew, old people kissing,_ thought Peter jokingly.

Jim let Lisa down as Jeff said,

"Damn it, these loved ones embraces always get me."

Jeff was crying.

He composed himself to ask Peter,

"Who do you want to see?"

"My parents," he said unintelligibly.

Peter was already crying.

"We have your dad: Mark."

Peter ran to his dad crying. As he ran he cried,

"Papa!"

His voice seemed smaller; like he had reverted back to a young child.

As he hugged his dad, he said,

"I missed you so much, Papa."

"I missed you too."

But they were interrupted by Jeff.

"Peter, you said you wanted to see your parents?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it just wouldn't be fair to just give you your dad. Here's your mom, Filomena."

"Mommy!"

He ran and picked her up.

Once they ended their embrace, Peter's mom said with an attitude,

"My name is _Nanette_."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Jeff.

He didn't know that she went by Nanette, even though her legal name was Filomena.

"Well, everyone has another loved one. Lisa, we have your son: Jim Jr. Matty, we have your buddy: Frank. Jenn, we have your friend: Amanda. And Amy, we have your mom: Jun."

They all ran to their respective loved ones and embraced and talked until Jeff finally stopped them.

"I wish I could let you all just spend time with your loved ones but we have a challenge to get to. For today's challenge; your loved ones will not compete. Instead we will see who wants time with their loved ones the most in an endurance challenge. For today's challenge; while standing on a narrow perch you will raise your hand above your head. Your hand will be connected to a bucket. If you drop your hand, your bucket will tip and you will be out of this challenge. The last person left standing wins a trip with both your loved ones on a helicopter ride. You will go island hopping; at each island there will be several scenic excursions. Once you're all done you will stay in an overwater bungalow and you will be get wonderful food and entertainment at a tamaaraa: a traditional Polynesian feast."'

Peter knew he had to win. This was the greatest reward yet.

The final 5 took their positions. Despite having the skinniest arms; Jenn was having trouble. _My arm hurts; this is hard,_ thought Jenn. Within the first 15 minutes, she dropped out.

After an hour Lisa dropped her arm. It was down to Peter, Amy, and Matty.

 _I need time with my girl. I want to propose to her,_ thought Matty.

 _I can't believe this is a reward challenge. This is usually an immunity challenge. But I have to win; I need time with my parents,_ thought Peter.

Mark and Nanette were talking.

"Peter better win, I'm starving," said Nanette jokingly.

"Yeah, you're starving while he hasn't eaten in over a month," said Mark with a laugh.

"I know he looks like a toothpick!"

"He probably lost 20 pounds."

"If he wins then he'll eat 20 pounds at this feast. Do you think they'll have toffee nuts at the feast?" asked Nanette. (She's addicted to toffee nuts.)

"I don't think so. Do you think the feast is like the Filipino feast with the roasted pig and everything?" asked Mark.

"Do I look Polynesian to you?" asked Nanette.

"You're Filipino, close enough," Mark joked.

Meanwhile Christa was Matty's biggest cheerleader.

"Let's go, Matty. You can do it!"

After 2 hours, Amy dropped out. It was Peter versus Matty. An hour rolled by and then another. Peter was desperately trying to get blood to his arm. He was lowering it as much as he dared to bend it a little bit. Matty was doing the same thing, but he lowered his arm too much and his bucket tipped. Peter won reward. He was overjoyed to win but he knew there would be a catch.

"Peter, choose 1 person and their loved ones to go with you."

"Lisa just seemed so happy to see her husband; I have to take her."

Peter wanted to take Lisa with him on the reward to soften her up to him so he could convince her to flip. She seemed the most likely to flip because Amy hated his guts, Matty was leading the charge against Peter, and Lisa seemed receptive to flipping the last time he talked to her about flipping at the final 6, but Peter knew there would be another twist.

"Peter, you can keep your reward along with Lisa or you can give up your reward and Lisa's reward, forgo your time with your loved ones and give everyone else their loved ones."

Everyone groaned.

"Peter, please," pleaded Amy.

Peter thought about his options. _If I give up my reward the person most likely to flip will be pissed at me, everyone else probably won't flip or really care that I gave up my reward. In fact they might target me if I did give up my reward because they'll think I'd get jury points for it. I'll also not be able to spend time with my parents._

"Sorry guys. I'm gonna keep it. I miss my parents too much."

"So you're keeping your reward with Lisa?" asked Jeff.

"Yup."

"Alright, Mark, Nanette, Jim, and Jim Jr. get up here."

Matty was upset that lost the reward challenge. He wasn't mad at Peter for keeping his reward. _He earned it._ But Matty desperately wanted time with his girlfriend to propose. He felt like he failed her by losing the challenge.

Although Jenn was angry that she lost yet another reward challenge, she wasn't as upset as she was last time. _I don't even really like April and Amanda._ It was hard to find loved ones for Jenn. She hated her parents, was an only child, and had no significant other. She wasn't even that close to her "friends:" April and Amanda.

Peter not taking Amy on reward was another thing on Amy's list for things she hated Peter for. _I deserved that reward! I stayed up there for 2 hours. How does Peter keep winning?_ wondered Amy.

Meanwhile Peter, Lisa, and their loved ones were having a blast. On the trip over to the helicopter, Peter told his father,

"I told you I'd take you on a trip to Bora-Bora."

"Thanks Peter."

"Thank you so much, beetle-boo," added Nanette.

"Mommy, don't call me that. We're on national television!"

"Oops, sorry Bon-Bon," she apologized.

"Mommy!"

"I'll stop now," she promised.

Lisa's husband Jim thanked Peter.

"I can't thank you enough for giving us this time together."

"You deserve it, she deserves it," said Peter.

Jim didn't like being handed things. He was old-fashioned and liked working for the things he received. He wanted to pay Peter back somehow.

"Hey, if there's anything I or my wife can do to help you out. You know, we'll do it," said Jim.

Peter used this as an opportunity to use someone else to do his dirty work to flip Lisa.

"You know there is something Lisa could do. I'm in a rough spot in this game and it's looking like I'm next. I'd appreciate it if she kept me around just one vote," suggested Peter.

"I'll do what I can, but my wife is a stubborn woman," said Jim.

"Thank you so much."

"I owe you one," explained Jim.

But Jim wouldn't be able to talk to Lisa privately for awhile as they got to the helicopter and the reward really started.

Everyone tried to stay pretty quiet on the helicopter ride to absorb the beauty of the Polynesian islands. It was too loud in the helicopter to really have a conversation anyway, but when the helicopter touched down at the first island, the fun began. The first excursion was a canoe ride with some of the Polynesian islands passed the reef that surrounded the island to the breakers. A popular pass time was to paddle into the waves on the canoe and that was exactly what they were doing. Just the paddle out was beautiful. The water so blue and clear; you could easily see right to the bottom. Everyone was looking down at the fish under the water and the beautiful coral formations as they passed the reef. Then they hit the breakers.

"They're kinda big for canoe surfing," said Peter.

"Yeah, I know. They're like head high," said Mark.

"Boo-Boo, I'm scared," said Nanette as she held her son's arm.

"It would help if you knew how to swim," said Peter.

"Does anyone have a life vest?" asked Nanette.

"It won't be necessary. We won't capsize," promised one of the paddlers in the outrigger.

"I trust you."

They paddled and rode several waves. It was a nice fun break from the game. _I'm so glad I could enjoy it with the people I love most,_ thought Peter.

"It's just like surfing, isn't Papa?" asked Peter.

"Yeah, you get that same sensation and adrenaline rush."

But their fun had to end as the helicopter pilot called them back to shore. On their way back, they found the tide had changed drastically and some of the reef was exposed. There was a small break in the reef where water was funneling through quickly that made a sort of "ocean rapid." The paddlers decided to go through the rapids. That in itself was an adrenaline rush. The water was funneling through so fast that there was little drop going down. _That was like riding down a small waterfall,_ thought Peter.

"That was fun," said Peter with a childish grin.

When they got back to shore the pilot told them,

"We got plenty of other excursions planned; I wanna cram as many as possible into this day. Let's go."

Luckily, they had gotten an early start seeing as how the reward challenge started only about an hour after dawn. _Good thing the days are long here,_ thought Lisa. _I want this day to last forever._

The day was long from over. It was a short helicopter ride to the next island; where they would hike to what the helicopter pilot called, "one of the most beautiful waterfalls in all of the pacific."

They touched down on a beautiful black sand beach. Mark noticed the large stream that fed into the ocean. It was powerful and hit a little wall of sand before getting to the ocean. It pushed up the small wall of sand creating kind of a standing wave.

Jim Jr. noticed it too and asked,

"Can we ride that?"

"Sure, we can do that on the way back. But let's get to this waterfall."

There wasn't much of a trail to get to the waterfall, so they all followed the stream. The pilot acted as a tour guide.

"There are all kinds of these beautiful waterfalls around these islands. I could take you to just about every type of waterfall," bragged the pilot.

"Can you take us to a tide fall?" asked Peter.

"You mean a waterfall right on the beach? Oh yeah. There's one not too far from here if you guys are down for it."

Everyone agreed.

They passed by a warm pool of water in the stream.

"What's that? Why is it warm?" asked Nanette.

"It's a spring-fed pool heated up by the volcano under the island. It makes for a nice big hot tub. We can take a break here if you want."

"That sounds good," said a panting Lisa.

They rested in the warm pool for a few minutes before the excited pilot hurried them again.

"Come on, guys. Let's have some fun. I got a treat for you all."

They hiked through the luscious forest a few minutes longer before reaching the waterfall. The waterfall was gorgeous. It was about a 15 foot tall plunge punchbowl waterfall (that means a waterfall coming from a wider stream forced into a narrow passage before losing contact with bedrock) and spouted out of a tunnel in the rock above before plunging down into a deep pool. The cool part was in mid-air the water from the waterfall thinned out a bit making it gentle. Behind the waterfall was a dry cave.

"Come on, the real fun is above the waterfall," urged the eager guide.

So they went around the waterfall and found that for a while the stream was below the ground hidden in the rock tunnel. But the tour guide took them to the opening of the tunnel and explained,

"The rock is smoothed out and the tunnel is wide enough to ride in. If you jump in here, it's like a waterslide."

"What about when it gets to the waterfall?" asked Nanette nervously.

"That's the best part! You fall down into the deep pool,"

"I don't know, I'm afraid of heights," said Nanette.

"This looks pretty dangerous," added Lisa.

"I'll go first!" exclaimed Peter and jumped into the tunnel.

He was going pretty fast in the tunnel. The pilot was right; the rock was smoothed out, but the eerie part was not being able to see anything. Then Peter saw the literally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and before long he was flying down the waterfall. He surfaced from the pool and said,

"Woohoo!"

Jim Jr. came down next, followed by Mark.

"That was so cool," said Peter to his father.

"Yeah, it's like the water slides at raging waters, but better."

They watched Lisa go down, and then her husband. Nanette was the only one left not to go. Finally they heard her yell from the opening of the tunnel,

"If I go down; you better not let me drown!"

"We won't."

And Nanette came down the waterfall before resurfacing and doggy-paddling. _I will never do that again,_ thought Nanette.

Then the pilot told them to swim behind the waterfall to the cave.

"This is a good place to have a little food break."

The pilot handed everyone a banana, some water, and sandwich from out of his pack.

"This is our traditional Polynesian feast?" asked Nanette.

"Geez, she's sassy. No, this is lunch so we can keep doing these fun excursions. The feast will be for dinner after sundown," explained the pilot.

 _This is such an amazing experience. I really owe Peter,_ thought Jim.

Lisa and Peter scarfed down their food quickly. Reward challenges were the only time they got to eat a real meal. Once everyone was done eating, the pilot led them above the waterfall again. One past the rock tunnel, the stream was much wider and it made twisted and turned several times. Luckily they were on somewhat of a trail and at one point crossed a rope bridge over the stream before getting to the falls. This waterfall was much bigger. It was a tall fan waterfall (one that spreads horizontally as it descends).

"We're not jumping off of this one are we?" asked Nanette.

"No, but you can swim in the big pool," suggested the pilot.

But the team didn't stay for very long and they were soon hiking back to the helicopter. When they got back to the beach, the pilot got a boogie board from the helicopter and gave it to Jim Jr.

"You can go ride the standing wave, now."

Everyone ended up riding on the sand wall of the stream.

 _This just seems like cheating,_ thought Mark. _Waves aren't supposed to stand still._

"Come on, guys. We still have to go snorkeling," reminded the pilot.

They got their snorkeling equipment on and swam out. They saw turtles, fish, some small sharks, and a lot of coral formations. Nanette had to wear a life vest because she didn't know how to swim very well. Once they got out of the water, they boarded the helicopter. The sun was starting to lower.

"I think we have time for one more island," said the pilot.

He took them on another short trip to another island and touched down on a white sand beach.

"You know this sand is fish poop," said Peter.

"What are you talking about?" asked Lisa.

"Parrotfish eat little pieces of coral or something and they poop out this fine white sand."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope, I'm serious."

"Come with me," ordered the pilot.

"We're gonna go for a boat ride."

There was another canoe with some locals waiting for them. They boarded the canoe. Nanette put her life vest back on. They paddled around this big rock formation.

"You asked for a waterfall on the beach, I'll give you 3," said the pilot.

Once they got to the head of the rock there was a sea cave with a waterfall pouring in front of it. They paddled through the first waterfall into the sea cave to find another one. There was a hole in the top of the sea cave where another waterfall fell through. The paddlers allowed them to get out of the boat because the waters were so calm and everyone took turns swimming into the second waterfall.

"Pretty cool, huh?" asked the pilot.

"Yeah, but you said 3," countered Peter.

"Once you guys are done, the 3rd one is around this cave."

They got back in the boat and paddled around the rock formation to another beach. There was a sailing boat waiting for them along with a plunge waterfall hitting the beach.

"There's #3," said the pilot.

Peter walked into the final waterfall and let it hit him like a shower.

"This is like my 2nd shower in over a month," said Peter.

"I know, you stink," said Nanette.

Everyone took turns standing in the natural shower before they boarded the sailing boat.

"We're gonna have to make this quick because we're running outta daylight."

The sun hadn't started to set yet but it was significantly lower. Everyone took their seats in the sail boat while Peter, Mark, Jim, the pilot and one of the locals pushed. With all the people in it, it was quite heavy, but once it was in the water everyone else jumped on and they got going. While the other activities were an adrenaline rush, the sailing was relaxing. But it ended quicker than everyone wanted because the sun had started to set. They had to say goodbye to the locals and paddle back to their helicopter. The pilot got them to their home for the night with just a little bit of light left.

Everyone had their own furnished bungalow. Luckily, each one had an outdoor shower with a towel and a change of clothes. Once everyone was done getting cleaned up it was time for the tamaaraa.

Peter, Nanette, and Mark sat together. Although the day had been so much fun, they hadn't really had much time to talk.

"Wow that was like a vacation in a day" said Mark.

"I know, it was so cool," agreed Peter.

"I had so much fun, boo. But I'm starving," said Nanette.

No one would be hungry for long once the food started coming. It was completely dark except for the thousands of stars shining brightly in the sky. The entertainment started as well. There were natives dressed in all different kinds of costumes and they were all dancing. They had fire dancers and hula dancers chanting and singing while the visitors were served food made in an ahimaa; which is an underground oven. They were served chicken and all different kinds of seafood including lobster, clams, oysters, shrimp, rockfish, mahi-mahi, tuna, octopus, sea urchin, crab, and Poisson cru: the national dish of Tahiti made out of raw fish, vegetables, lime juice, and coconut milk. Everyone but Peter gorged on the seafood. Peter was allergic to all seafood but there were plenty of other types of food. While everyone else was still eating the fish, Peter got the first grabs at whole roasted pig they just took out of the ahimaa.

 _Oh my God, that's what I'd been hoping for,_ thought Mark. Of course, there was enough pork to go around for everyone. On top of all the meats there were yams, banana, pineapple, breadfruit, and taro. Once everyone started to slow their pace on the delicious food, they started talking more. Nanette and Mark filled him in on what's been happening at home and Peter told his them of all the jams he managed to get out of and how he had started from the outs from day 1.

"When you watch the show, you're gonna see that I did a lot of shady things, but you have to understand that I did everything to save myself. You have to promise not to get mad at me," Peter said to his mother. Nanette didn't appreciate lying and manipulating and Peter and she often got into arguments about it when they watched _Survivor_ together, but she knew Peter would only lie if he had to.

"Oh Peter, it's okay. I told you, 'kill, crush, and destroy!'" said Nanette jokingly. It was one of her sayings.

"I can't believe I'm in the final 5," said Peter.

"Oh I knew you would. You know this game inside out," said Mark.

"I barely made it out of the last tribal council. I was one vote away from going home."

"Really?" asked Mark.

"Yeah, it's been like that every time and I've been to every tribal council because my tribe lost every challenge."

"Every challenge, oh my gosh you were like Stephenie!" said Nanette referring to Stephenie Lagrossa's tribe Ulong, losing every immunity challenge in _Survivor Palau_ until she was the only member left.

"Have you won any individual immunity challenges?" asked Mark. He always took respected players on S _urvivor,_ who won a lot of immunity challenges.

"I've only won 2, but I won a lot of individual reward challenges and I came in second in all the immunity challenges I lost."

"That's pretty good. What do you think your chances are at making the final 2?" asked Mark.

"Honestly, not that good; I'm outnumbered 3-2 and I'm the target of the majority alliance. If I don't win immunity or flip somebody; I'm gone," explained Peter.

"Oh my God. But you've gotten out of things like this before, haven't you?" asked Nanette.

"Yeah, I've been pretty fortunate, but it's not looking good for me. That's why I brought Lisa on this trip. She's in the other alliance and she's the most likely to flip. I gotta go talk to her."

"What are you going to say?" asked Nanette.

"I don't have much of an argument. I'm just going to tell her that I'm her best bet at winning against," said Peter.

Peter had so much fun on the trip he almost forgot about the game. But he was back in game mode and he talked to Lisa. Lisa and Jim were just talking about how much they missed each other when Peter walked up.

"Oh, am I interrupting?" asked Peter.

"Oh, no; you two can talk," said Jim.

Jim and his son left.

"Hey, Lisa I just wanted to talk about the game for a little while," said Peter.

"Okay," agreed Lisa.

"I know you want to enjoy the show so I'll make this quick," promised Peter.

"Don't worry about it," said Lisa.

"So the alliances are the 3 original Perdiendos against me and Jenn, correct?"

"Yes." Lisa knew Jenn had offered herself up as a 4th but she also knew Peter could sway her back easily and she just wanted to position herself to outlast Peter if he went home.

"Are you planning on going to the final 3 with Matty and Amy?"

"Yeah, I was."

"Alright, my ass is obviously in the sling, but I think this is the best move for your game."

"What's that?"

"Look, let's face it. No one can beat Matty if he makes it to the finals. He's got Buck's vote, he's got Juan's vote, he probably has Michelle's vote, and heck if I were on the jury; I'd vote for him. He is the biggest threat to all of us to win this game."

"That's true."

"He's also a huge physical threat. I'm just saying, I think now is the perfect time to take him out."

"Maybe, but-"

"Look, if you go to the final 3 with him; you will not win. You won't win against Matty. But I guarantee you if you go to the end with me; you win in a 7-0 vote. I have the most enemies on the jury and I promise you I'll take you to the final 2."

"That's a good point."

"And Matty is going to take Amy to the final 2, not you."

"Really?''

"Yeah, that's what Amy said."

Amy actually hadn't told Peter, but it was obvious that Matty would take Amy over Lisa because Amy was so much less likable.

"Alright, I gotta think about this."

"One more thing to think about…" Peter showed her his fake idol.

Peter walked back to his parents.

"So, what's up?" asked Mark.

"She said, she'd think about it, but I have a good read on her; she will consider it, but I doubt she'll flip."

"Why? You have a pretty logical argument," asked Mark.

"Because she doesn't feel like she's in enough danger. She's too comfortable in her position to change it up. The only danger I could threaten her with is 2 votes and a fake idol."

"You have a fake idol?" asked Mark.

"Yeah, that could scare her but it threatens everyone equally and she probably knows they have to vote for me anyway to flush it."

"Well, make up a lie to make her feel in danger now," said Nanette.

"It's not that easy. The lie has to be believable and no one in her alliance would consider voting for her next. Right now, she's as safe as she can be."

"Well, what are you gonna do, Boo?" asked Nanette.

"I'm going to enjoy this reward and this night, because it's probably my last night in this game and tomorrow; I'll try to win immunity and scramble up a new plan," explained Peter.

"You really think it's you?" asked Mark.

"As it stands now, if I don't win immunity; there's probably a 75% chance I'm going home."

"Oh God," said Mark.

"Let's just relax and enjoy this show. You always wanted to go to a good luau," said Peter.

"Yeah, I always did," agreed Mark.

And they talked and shared stories and enjoyed the show. Meanwhile Jim was talking to Lisa.

"What was he talking to you about?" asked Jim.

"He's trying to save himself," said Lisa.

"Is he going home next?" asked Jim.

"Yeah, if I don't save him," answered Lisa.

"You know, he took us on such a nice trip. I think we owe him one."

"Yeah, we do."

"I think you should keep him around one more, honey. He deserves that," said Jim.

"He's dangerous," explained Lisa.

"He seems like a sweet kid, how so?"

"He's been on the outs a lot. A lot of people how tried to get him out and he's managed to scramble out of it every time," said Lisa.

"Well then, he's working hard to stay here. I just think we shouldn't take something and not give back anything you know. You know how I feel about handouts, and he's given us so many good memories today," explained Jim.

"I know sweetheart. I'll think about it," promised Lisa.

"Thanks honey."

Lisa did think about. She was torn. Before this reward challenge, if Peter had asked her to vote for Matty, she wouldn't hesitate to say, "No." But now she felt she owed Peter. She even felt a bond with him after experiencing so many cool things together. She felt like she should give Peter something in return. It made it even harder to turn down Peter because Jim was telling her to keep him. She did not want to let down Peter and her husband. She didn't even know what to think of this idol. She was so confused and when she went to bed, she fell into a fitful sleep.

Once it started getting late and the tamaaraa was over, Mark and Nanette went to Peter's bungalow. They talked for a long time about how nice it was to see him, how much they missed him, and how great a day it was. But it was getting late and Peter had an immunity challenge tomorrow so they went to their separate bungalows and slept. _It's nice to sleep in a real bed,_ thought Peter. And the sound of the ocean rolling underneath them sung them all to sleep.

Everyone was woken up somewhat early by one of the workers. They were served a gourmet breakfast. Due to the immunity challenge, Peter and Lisa were informed that they would have to say their goodbyes soon. So after breakfast Peter hugged his parents.

"I'll be home soon," he promised.

"You better come home with a million dollar check," Nanette joked.

"I'll try my best."

"I love you so much," said Nanette.

"I love my boy," said Mark.

"I love you guys, too. Wish me luck."

"Okay."

"Say, hi to Babo, Lisa, and Blacktop for me," asked Peter. (Babo was his little sister. It was a nickname he gave her when she was newly born and it stuck even now when she was no longer a baby. Her real name was Sophia. Lisa was his Step-mother, and Blacktop was their dog.)

"I will."

"Oh mommy, I named the tribe after you," Peter informed her.

"Really? What's it called?"

"Ettenan, Nanette spelled backwards."

"Oh my gosh that is so sweet. I have to post that on face book."

"No you're not allowed to disclose any information about the season or you'll face a 5,000,000 dollar fine."

"Oh, okay. Bye, Boo."

"Bye."

Lisa kissed Jim goodbye.

"I love you, darling," said Jim.

"I love you too," responded Lisa.

"You don't know how much I've missed you."

"I'll be home soon."

Then Lisa hugged her son.

"Bye, Mama."

"I love you, my little boy."

"I love you too, Mama."

"Alright, I best be going now."

Lisa and Peter were taken straight to the immunity challenge where Jenn, Matty, and Amy were waiting.

The immunity challenge was extremely simple. It was _Survivor_ shuffleboard. Each person would have 3 pucks and they would try to land it as close to the center of the X marked on the board as possible.

 _Shuffleboard as an immunity challenge in the final 5! What the heck? This isn't a legit challenge. It's as close to a crapshoot as Survivor challenges get,_ thought Peter.

But nonetheless he tried his best at the immunity challenge and at the end of the first round; his puck was barely touching the X and he was in the lead. Jenn went first in the second round and landed nowhere near the X. Lisa was next and she shot too hard and her puck went over the board. Then it was Peter's turn. He took his time and aimed. He increased his lead by landing another puck on the X in front of his first puck. Thereby protecting a puck and still getting closer to the center of the X.

 _Maybe shuffleboard is a good challenge,_ thought Peter with a grin. But he knew leads could change at any time with shuffleboard. He was proved correct when Matty took his second toss and managed to get his puck right on the center of the X. But Amy went last in the second round, and in an attempt to knock out both of Peter's pucks; she hit one of Peter's and Matty's puck. The hit knocked both Matty's and Peter's puck off the board, while hers landed nowhere close to the X. But Peter still had one Puck on the X and kept his lead going into the last round. Lisa went first and landed her puck in the middle of the board. Jenn went next and moved Lisa's puck right next to Peter's, but Peter's was still closer, while Jenn's puck went off the board. Amy took her last shot and clogged the middle of the board. Peter used his shot to knock Lisa's puck away from his and move his puck closer to the center. He had one puck right on the center of the X with only one person left to go: Matty. Matty slid his puck hard at the center of the X which moved Peter's puck and sent his own off the board. Although Peter's puck was moved away from the X it was hard to tell whether anyone else's was closer. The _Survivor_ team had to come out and measure how far everyone's pucks were from the center of the X. Amazingly Amy: who no one even considered could win, ended up having her puck closer than Peter's by less than half an inch and she won immunity.

 _Didn't see that coming,_ thought Amy. _But I'm glad I'm the one who gets to seal that weasel's fate. I can't wait to send him home tonight._

Outnumbered, targeted, with no immunity necklace around his neck, and no immunity idol to look for; it wasn't looking good for Peter, but he went to see where Lisa's head was at.

"So, Matty doesn't have immunity; this is the perfect time to get rid of him. This might be your last chance to get rid of him."

"My mind isn't made up, yet," she confessed.

"Okay," said Peter.

Peter saw her confide in her best friend in the game, Amy. He knew she wouldn't flip, but he was hoping he could use her wishy-washiness, confidante, and his idol for a new plan. He now knew for sure there was no idol as there was no clue on reward but people would assume he had the clue and wouldn't question his idol. He called together Matty and Jenn.

"I know you guys are planning on voting for me tonight, but I think I have something to change your mind." Peter whipped out the fake idol. "I found the clue on reward."

Both Matty and Jenn were shocked.

"So, now what?" asked Matty.

"Now we're all in trouble. This keeps me safe one day, I wanna keep it. But as it stands now, if I don't play it, I'm gone. So I'm gonna play it, that's a problem for you guys."

"Why? Because you're gonna vote for one of us?" asked Jenn.

"Quite the contrary, because I only have 1 vote. The problem is Lisa knows I have this idol, she was with me when I got the clue. She know I'm not leaving but she wants the idol gone. So she's gonna split it."

"A split with one person?"

"No, as it stands now you two will vote for me. That will get nullified by the idol. That leaves 3 votes, 2's a majority. I only have one vote so my vote is basically a throwaway. Whomever them 2 decide (pointing at Amy and Lisa) goes home, and right now they're deciding which one of you to kick off.

"But we can make this next vote easy and vote out Lisa. 3-2"

"And you keep your idol."

"And we all stay alive."

"I gotta talk to Lisa," said Matty as he ran off.

Jenn was convinced. But Peter needed Matty. Peter was hoping Lisa would be truthful and tell Matty that she wasn't sure. The smart thing to do is to always say you're solid, even when you're the swing vote, but Lisa hadn't lied in the game as far as Peter knew and his best bet was that she wouldn't lie then. _Hopefully her flakiness will set off Matty's paranoia and he'll vote for her just to be safe,_ hoped Peter.

Matty found Lisa and said,

"We need to talk."

"Okay," said Lisa.

"Are you voting Peter tonight?"

"Matty, I'm going to be honest. I haven't made up my mind yet. I have to think about which decision will help me win this game the most."

"What about loyalty, what about our final 3 deal?" asked Matty.

"I don't care about final 3, I want to go to the final 2 and I don't think you're taking me to the final 2."

"Yes, I am."

"Matty, I need time to think."

Matty actually was planning on taking Amy to the final 2 instead of Lisa, but he had a final 2 deal with Lisa too. _How does she know that I'm taking Amy? Maybe Amy told her. I don't know what's going on anymore. I could be going home tonight,_ Matty worried. He badly wanted to take out his biggest threat and rival; Peter, but he didn't want to go home if Lisa flipped. _I'm so close to the end. Maybe I should play it safe. But damn it, Peter would be safe again. I don't know what I'm gonna do._ He talked to Peter.

"Why don't we make this easy, Matty?'

"None of this is easy!"

"She's up in the air! I told her to vote for you, I know you told her to vote for me; right now she's debating which one of us to take out. I'm not willing to put my life in this game in her hands, and I don't think you are either."

"She told you she hadn't decided yet?"

"That's exactly what she told me. We're both in jeopardy, here. If she goes one way; I'm out. If she goes another; you're out. We're equally at risk."

"You have your idol."

"Yeah, but do you really think she's just gonna vote for me and let me decide who goes home with my one vote? No. But if we put our rivalry aside and do what's smart for both our games; we can both stay here if you, me, and Jenn vote for Lisa.

"Do you want your game in her hands?"

Peter was so unsure. He started to second guess himself. _Maybe Lisa will flip and I should vote for Matty. Or maybe Matty will flip and I should vote for Lisa. Maybe they'll both flip, or maybe none of them will and I'm screwed. Damn it, I don't know what to do._

But he had to finalize a decision before tribal council and he did. He told Jenn who to vote for. Peter walked to tribal council unsure of what was going to happen and both Matty and Lisa walked to tribal council unsure of what they should do.

When the Ettenan tribe arrived at tribal council, Jeff asked Peter and Lisa about the reward. Peter briefly explained it. He tried not to go into too much detail so no one would get too jealous. Jeff congratulated Amy on her first immunity win and then asked everyone,

"Who feels like they're in danger tonight?"

Peter and Matty raised their hands.

"Peter, do you think that has anything to do with you not giving up your reward?"

"No, I don't think so. I was in danger before the reward challenge and I don't think my position got any worse."

"Do you think your position improved?"

"I'll find out if I'm still here after this vote."

"Okay, Matty you also raised your hand. As I understand it; you and Peter are in separate alliances and I believe you are in the dominant one. Is there a confusion of alliances, or is someone flipping?"

"I think someone could be flipping," answered Matty.

"Who thinks they're the swing vote tonight?" asked Jeff.

"I feel like I am, Jeff," said Lisa.

"Why?"

"Peter approached me about voting out Matty and Matty wants me to vote out Peter. I feel like there are 2 superpowers in this game, but I have the power to pick which one goes home."

"So you feel like you have the power tonight?" asked Jeff.

"Yes."

"Kind of a precarious position to be in," pointed out Jeff.

"Yeah, I feel like for the first time in this game; I have full control of the vote, but even I still don't know what's going to happen."

"So you're mind isn't made up?"

"I think I'm going to make my decision when I write a name down on the parchment."

"Well it seems pretty obvious what the big question is tonight: who is Lisa going to pick? But crazy things have happened this season and nonetheless this is a pretty pivotal vote. Let's get to it. Amy has the individual immunity necklace, any chance you're giving it up?"

"Nope," responded Amy.

"Cannot vote for Amy, everyone else is fair game. It is time to vote; Jenn, you're up."

When Lisa came to the voting booth, she took a lot of time thinking before she wrote a name and said,

"I'm sorry, but this is what's best for my game."

Matty came up to vote and said,

"It's obvious that you are a threat to me. I like you a lot, but I need that money. Sorry."

When it was Peter's turn, he said,

"I don't know if I made the right decision. This vote could do nothing, it could be the vote that sends me home, or it could be the vote that saves me. I just hope I picked right."

Once everyone voted and Jeff returned with the urn, he said,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. For the last time, if someone has the hidden immunity idol and they would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

When Matty saw that Peter did not play his idol he realized it was a fake. There was no point in not playing it, he couldn't save it for another day. He felt so stupid, no one but Peter had had possession of a hidden immunity idol in the game and they didn't know the last day it could be played. He now knew the whole quasi-split vote was a scheme. But it wasn't just that that scared him. He knew Peter had tried to get her to vote for him on the Reward as well and he knew she was also on the fence about that. Her wishy-washiness about both set off his paranoia. He swallowed hard.

"I'll read the votes."

"First vote-Peter."

"Peter."

Peter was shaking and his hands were sweating as he put them on his face, but his eyes were glued on the votes.

"Lisa. 2 votes Peter, 1 vote Lisa."

"Lisa. We're tied: 2 votes Peter, 2 votes Lisa, 1 vote left."

Peter took a deep breath and prepared himself to grab his torch if he needed to.

"The 15th person voted out of Survivor Bora-Bora and the fifth member of our jury-Lisa. That's 3, that's enough. You'll have to bring me your torch."

Lisa didn't expect a vote, let alone getting voted out. _I thought I had all the power._ But she grabbed her torch and gave it to Jeff. As he snuffed it, he said,

"Lisa, your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

 **Vote**

Amy-Peter

Lisa-Peter

 **2 votes Peter**

Jenn-Lisa

Matty-Lisa

Peter-Lisa

 **3 votes Lisa**

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 16 (Season Finale)

X-eliminated

Contestants:

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle **X**

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon **X** Henry Kaider **X**

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren **X**

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson **X** Amy Chan

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee **X**

Alicia Brown **X** Juan Rodriguez **X**

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne **X**

Joanne Lopez **X**

Diane Baxter **X**

Jon Kelly **X**

Peter was absolutely elated after tribal council. Everything fell into place and not only did he survive, he was no longer in the minority. He managed to get to the final 4 with Jenn. He was 2 tribal councils away from the end and hopefully, Jenn would be sitting next to him. But Peter was still wary, he knew how easily you could be eliminated if you got off your guard. He was so close to the end, but the next two tribal councils would still be tricky.

Matty was frustrated after tribal council. _Lisa didn't flip. Had I voted for Peter; he'd be gone. I let my paranoia het the best of me and now he's in the final 4. I had him! Now, I've lost the majority. The alliances are tied! I have to make sure Peter goes home next; I have to break the tie._ Matty went to bed thinking of a plan.

When the Ettenan tribe woke up, Peter rekindled the fire and made breakfast. They were eating more now because they were so careful about rationing their food that they had extra due to the small amount of people. Peter decide to put trying to flip someone on hold until he knew who had immunity. _With so few players left, it's hard to really campaign for someone when you know it could all go to waste because they have a one in four chance at winning immunity,_ thought Peter. But Matty did not wait. He had formulated a plan while he lay in bed and enacted it as soon as possible. He talked with Jenn privately.

"I think we all know what's going on. It's you and Peter vs. me and Amy, right?" asked Matty.

"That's what it looks like," confirmed Jenn.

"So if we vote based on those alliances we'll have a tie and at the final 4, a fire challenge is the tie breaker."

"Right."

"Well Jenn, I know you can't make fire. If you went into a fire challenge against anyone; you'd lose. Let's just face that."

"I'm not denying that."

"So this is the deal: I don't want you out. I want you to help me get Peter out. He's my biggest threat. If you vote with me and Amy against Peter; we'll all go to the final 3. At that point I'll take you to the final 2 if I win immunity because honestly I think I have a much better chance at beating you than Amy."

"Okay, but what if I don't vote with you?"

"Then, Amy and I will vote for you. You and Peter will vote for either me or Amy; forcing a tie. A fire challenge will follow that; you'll will lose and go home."

"Oh."

"So, are you with me?"

"Peter's next?" asked Jenn.

"Peter's next," confirmed Matty.

Jenn was being genuine with Matty. _He's right; I would lose a fire challenge. I'll vote for Peter if it saves me. It's not like I give a Sh*t about him anyway._

Peter noticed Jenn was being a lot more distant with him. He saw her and Matty walk off and talk for a few minutes. He wondered what he told her. _Can't hurt asking,_ thought Peter.

Peter walked up to Jenn.

"Final four, huh; that's amazing," he said.

"It sure is," said Jenn.

"Just think. We made on alliance on day what? 3?"

"Yeah."

"We've been through so much, but we're still here, still together, right?"

"Yup, we still are," she said guiltily.

 _She's lying; it's so obvious,_ thought Peter.

"And we're gonna go right to the end; we have each other's backs,"

"Uh-huh," she said suspiciously.

 _Does he know about my deal with Matty?_ wondered Jenn.

"Don't lie to me, Jenn. You're not very good at it. I know Matty told you to vote me off," said Peter looking right in Jenn's eyes.

"How did you know?"

"I didn't, till now. What did he offer you?"

"You know what? I don't need to hide it from you. You're just pissed because I don't need you anymore! He's taking me to the final 2 once I vote you off and there's nothing you could do about it. None of your stupid mind games and Sh*t are gonna work now, checkmate!"

"Don't be stupid, Jenn. I'm the only person left you could beat. You really want to go to the final two against Matty: the Perdiendo tribe God? Come on, Jenn."

"I don't care; I'm not going to a fire challenge. I have to save myself. Goodbye!" she yelled.

 _Sh*t, Matty must have talked to her. The 3 of them are voting for me. He must have convinced her to flip by threatening to force her to compete in the fire tiebreaker challenge because Jenn can't make fire. But Amy doesn't know how to start a fire either. Jenn always makes these stupid, rash decisions. I don't think there's a way to flip her back to me; she's already made her decision. I have to win immunity,_ realized Peter.

Matty overheard Jenn yelling at Peter. It was music to his ears. _Now I know Jenn is with me and Peter's gone. And she believes that I'm taking her to the final 2,_ thought Matty happily. Although he promised Jenn he'd take her to the finals, his actual plan was to take Amy. Although Jenn would be the easiest to beat, Matty knew he would win against anyone who was left; all he needed to do was get to the finals. He wanted to take Amy because he was loyal to her and he felt that after being aligned for so long; he should take her to the end. But even with the hit ready on Peter, Matty knew there was always the immunity challenge and he planned to do whatever he could to prevent Peter from winning it.

The first part of the immunity challenge was a netted obstacle course. There were 5 stations of the obstacle course. Each station had a bag for each castaway, but to get to the station there would be a unique obstacle. There was a net tunnel, a rope swing, a rope bridge with the rungs missing but you were given 2 loose rungs, a sand pit where you would have to dig for the bags, and a pit filled with water with the bags at the bottom. Once a castaway had all five bags they would untie them. Inside the bags were just enough sticks and twine to make a pole long enough to push a target; raising a flag. The first person to raise their flag wins immunity.

Matty's strategy when he saw the challenge was to go to whatever station Peter went to and to try to slow him down on certain obstacles. That way neither Matty nor Peter would win immunity allowing either Jenn or Amy to win. _I don't really care about winning immunity. I just have to make sure Peter doesn't win._ When the challenge started, Peter dove right into the water pit and Matty followed him, but on that obstacle Matty couldn't find a way to slow down Peter other than trying to drown him, so Matty just went as fast as he could.

Peter found the bags at the bottom of the water pit quickly and untied his in front of Matty, but Matty was able to catch up on the swim back. They both brought their bags to their respective stations before Amy or Jenn and were neck and neck.

Peter then headed for the sand pit and Matty followed him. _Why is he following me? He'd go faster at his own station,_ wondered Peter. They both started digging, but Matty tried to throw the sand he dug up where Peter was digging. Some sand got in Peter's eye.

"Matty throwing sand in Peter's face; interesting strategy," commented Jeff.

Peter realized what was going on. _He's trying to keep me from winning._ It only motivated him more.

"Amy finally back with her first bag, Jenn still with nothing."

Matty found his bag first and ran back to his station. Realizing he had a lead, he thought he could try to win instead and slow Peter down on the way. He went to the rope swing. Peter rubbed the sand out of his eye and found his second bag as Matty reached his third. Peter then went to the net tunnel.

"Here's how we stand; Matty has his third bag, Peter looking for his third, Amy just brought back her second bag, and Jenn has one bag."

Peter quickly made it through the tunnel and got his bag. Matty saw Peter had to come back through the net tunnel so he decided to block the way. Peter was coming back and saw Matty in the tunnel, not moving. He knew Matty was trying to block him. He wasted no time and pushed Matty's head down onto the rope netting and climbed over him.

"Peter's not messing around; he wants to be safe tonight at tribal council."

Peter had 3 bags. He ran to the rope bridge. Instead of using the rungs and crawling across he jumped, caught one side of the rope, and pulled himself upside down to the platform. In doing so he saved a lot of time. He did the same thing on the way back.

"Peter coming back with his fourth bag, Matty's in the lead; looking for his fifth, Amy's in the water looking for her fourth bag, and Jenn's bringing up the rear with only 2 bags."

Matty was bringing back his last bag on the rope bridge as Peter ran to the rope swing for his last bag.

"Matty has all his bags, start untying and work on your pole! Peter's quickly across the rope swing. Peter, you have to pick it up; it's not over, you can still win this!"

Matty had all his bags untied once Peter untied his last bag.

"Matty's workings on his pole, Amy looking for her last bag, Peter's back with his, start untying! Jenn has completely fallen out of this challenge. You might as well sit down and watch."

Jenn actually sat down and started watching as Peter raced to get his bags untied. Matty was already working on getting his pole together and quickly had several pieces together, but Peter made up some time untying his bags and started on his pole too. He made two knots on each connection between the sticks that made up the pole. He worked fast and was a few sticks away from what he thought would make the pole long enough when Matty finished his pole.

"Matty gonna make a go of it!"

Matty stretched his arm as he tried to hit his target. Peter tried to stay focused on his pole.

"This could be it! Will it be strong enough?"

Peter couldn't help but look up. Matty's pole was touching the target, but he still had to push the target to raise the flag. Matty gave it one big push but when he did; the end of his pole collapsed.

"Not quite strong enough; this opens the door for Peter."

Matty made repairs to his pole while Peter was finishing his. They brought their poles up at the same time.

"Matty and Peter both gonna go for it!"

Both men stretched their arms to get to the target and both poles touched the target.

"It's gonna be close; both poles look sturdy."

Both flags rose within a second of each other, but it was Peter's that rose first.

"Peter wins immunity!"

Peter dropped his pole and punched the air before walking over as Jeff put the immunity necklace around his neck.

"Peter: safe at tonight's tribal council and guaranteed a spot in the final 3. As for the rest of you: Amy, Jenn, Matty; after 37 long days, one of the 3 of you are going home."

Peter knew he needed to win that challenge and he was so glad that he won it. Now he could go to tribal council knowing he didn't have to fear for his own life, but he still had to worry about Jenn.

Matty was pissed off after the immunity challenge. He had everything set up; Peter was going home in a unanimous vote. He flipped Jenn; it was his biggest strategic move of the game. He was going to take out his rival and biggest threat after several failed attempts, but Peter escaped once again. _He's like a cat with nine lives! I can't get rid of him._ With Peter immune; it was an easy decision for Matty to target Jenn. He was more loyal to Amy. He knew Peter and Jenn would probably team up and vote against him, but Matty wasn't too worried about the tiebreaker fire challenge. _I could beat Jenn with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back._

When the Ettenan tribe returned to camp, Matty told Amy what they were doing.

"Peter winning immunity sure screwed up our plans," said Matty.

"Yeah, I know. We had Jenn, Peter was set to go. What happens now?"

"Well you and I are gonna vote for Jenn, Peter and Jenn will probably vote for me."

"You're not worried about that?"

"No, I make the fire almost every day. I can beat Jenn."

"What if Peter and Jenn vote for me?" asked Amy worriedly.

"I don't think that's gonna happen. But just in case, I have a plan."

Once Peter got back to camp, he had a talk with Jenn.

"Do you still not need me?" he asked with a smug smile.

"Shut up."

"I'd be a little nicer to me," said Peter.

"Why?" she asked with an attitude.

"Because Amy and Matty are voting for you and I'm the only person willing to force a tie," he explained.

"Matty's not gonna vote for me," she said trying to convince herself more than Peter.

"Are you really that stupid? Of course Matty's gonna vote for you. Did you actually believe he was taking you to the end? He's loyal to Amy. He's been loyal to Amy for weeks now. Do you really think he'll change that because of a deal he made a couple hours ago?"

"He needs me in the end because he thinks I'm the easiest to beat," she explained.

"Matty doesn't have to worry about that. He'd win against any one of us. He just needs to get to the end without tainting the innocent picture everyone on the jury has of him, and if he took you and betrayed Amy; he would taint that picture. And he knows that; he wants to appear loyal and respectable."

 _He's right. Matty is voting for me. He was just using me before to get rid of Peter. Now that Peter's immune; I'm next on the list,_ Jenn realized.

"Okay, so we're voting for Matty?"

"No, think about this a little. If you go into a fire challenge against Matty; he'll beat you faster than you can cry about losing again."

"Hey, shut the f**k up!"

"Why? What are you gonna do, vote me out? I don't have to be nice to you. Maybe I'd consider kissing your ass if you actually had a chance at winning the final immunity challenge and I wanted you to pick me, but we all know how great you are in challenges."

"Okay, who are we voting for then?"

"Amy can't make fire either. Both of you probably won't be able to do it with flint, but once Jeff brings out the matches; I think you'll win."

"So that's it? That's our plan; I have to win a fire challenge?"

"I'm gonna try to flip one of them, but if I can't that's what we fall back on."

"Okay."

Peter knew Jenn would probably lose the fire challenge, even to Amy, even with matches, but he had to keep Jenn confident. He knew he had to flip someone. Peter went to approach one of the 2 former Perdiendo members, but it was Amy who approached him instead.

"Hey, can we talk?" asked Amy.

"Yeah, sure," said Peter.

 _Usually I'm the one who says that,_ thought Peter.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Well, tribal tonight is pretty hairy."

"Yeah, it sure is. Final 4."

"Who do you think you and Jenn are gonna vote for?"

 _Why does she want to know? Amy never wants to talk to me; she hates me,_ wondered Peter suspiciously.

"I don't know we haven't made up our minds yet."

"Well, the thing is; Matty and I are really close. We've been loyal to each other ever since we teamed up and he thinks I'm voting for Jenn."

"Aren't you?" asked Peter.

"I'll just be straight up with you; I don't want to go to a fire challenge. I love Matty, I do, but if staying in this game means I have to vote for then I will. I hate doing this, but I'm so close to the money."

"So you want Jenn and I to vote against Matty?"

"Sadly, yeah."  
"Okay, sounds good," said Peter.

But Peter was very leery of the plan. He wanted Matty gone badly, but the deal seemed too good to be true. _This all seems so fishy; Amy talking to me, the plan to get rid of Matty, her whole reasoning behind it. It's all logical but it seems rehearsed; like I'm being setup._ Peter started to wonder what Amy or Matty was up to. Then he came to a conclusion. _What if Matty put Amy up to it? Then he'd get Jenn and I to vote for him instead of Amy. There'll be a fire challenge between Matty and Jenn, instead of Amy and Jenn. If Jenn goes up against Matty; she'll go home for sure and Matty knows that. I can't take that risk. I need Jenn in this game._

Amy told Jenn of her plan against Matty and Jenn was all for it. But Peter had a talk with her.

"Did Amy just come over here and tell you to vote for Matty?" asked Peter.

"Yeah, it's all setup. Matty's going home! What's the matter? Don't you want him gone?"

"Of course I do, but I think we might be getting setup."

"How?"

"I think Matty told Amy to get us to vote for him," explained Peter.

"Why would he want us to vote for him?" asked Jenn.

"Because if we both vote for him instead of Amy, then Amy and Matty will still vote for you and you'll go up against Matty in a fire challenge."

"And I'll lose."

"Exactly, he doesn't want to take the chance of you beating Amy in a fire challenge."

"Do you really think he'd do all that just to save Amy?"

"It sure would make him look good and loyal in front of the jury."

"I don't know, I kind of believe Amy," admitted Jenn.

"I do too, but I don't want to take the chance of you going home. The worst case scenario if we vote for Amy is a fire challenge against Amy, the worst case scenario if we vote against Matty is a fire challenge against Matty."

"But the best case scenario of voting against Matty is Matty goes home," countered Jenn.

"That's true, but I don't know if the risk is worth the reward."

"We have to make a decision."

Meanwhile Amy came back to Matty.

"I think they bought it."

Peter had a sell of his own. He approached Matty.

"Let's keep this simple: we're both making it to the final 3, we just have to decide if we take Jenn or Amy," concluded Peter.

Matty knew Peter would never actually consider voting off Jenn as she was his only hope of winning. _But maybe if I convince him that I'm with them, Jenn will be unprepared for the challenge,_ thought Matty.

"Right," agreed Matty.

"I think it would be in both of our interests to keep Jenn. She's no good in challenges and a jury goat."

 _Ha! Like I need a jury goat, if I make it to the end against anyone, I'll win,_ thought Matty.

"I can't disagree."

"Great, then we vote Amy tonight."

"Agreed."

Peter knew both Matty and Amy were being insincere with their promises to him, but he knew how to make them sincere. Peter walked along the beach with Amy.

"I think it's a really good decision for you to vote Matty. I know it's tough, but I respect that," said Peter.

"Yeah, it's hard because Matty's my friend."

"He'd do the same to you."

"No, he wouldn't," said Amy, somewhat shocked,

"He already did."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he's voting for you. He told me that he's keeping Jenn because he needs to win that challenge and she's worthless. He's bringing her to the final 3. Heck, I think he's bringing her to the final 2."

Amy was confused. Her first instinct was to question Peter, but she knew how much Matty wanted to win, and with a goat like Jenn, even Peter could win. Still her face was full of genuine disbelief. _That wasn't part of the plan._

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"I-I don't know."

"I'll show you. Hide in those bushes. I'll be back."

Peter ran to grab Matty by the water. As he ran back to where Amy was hiding, he quickly pressed Matty with information.

"Jenn doesn't believe you'll vote with us. I kept telling her you would, but she wanted to hear it out of your mouth. I have her hiding behind the bushes where we're gonna sit. Just say you think she's the easiest to beat in a challenge and at the end and that Amy's too big a threat," Peter coached.

Matty didn't have much time to process but he figured he'd get her comfortable before tribal.

Peter and Matty sat down less than 10 feet away from where Amy was hiding.

"So just so we're clear on tonight," introduced Peter.

"We write down Amy's name," confirmed Matty.

Amy nearly gasped.

"She's too big a threat; I can't let her beat me in a challenge. It's bad enough you're going to be there," continued Matty with a laugh.

"Jenn: we could beat her in a challenge, in a tribal. It's the safe pick. I'm not risking a million dollars for some girl I barely know," reasoned Matty.

It was music to Peter's ears. "I'm just worried about how the jury is gonna see it, a lot of them don't like Jenn," Peter goaded him on.

"Nobody likes Amy either!"

 _Icing on the cake,_ thought Peter. "Yeah, okay."

It took everything in Amy not to jump out of the bushes and attack Matty right there. _He's worse than Peter. It's ironic really. He told me to pretend like I was going to vote for him and now I really will._

"So we're clear now," Matty confirmed and left.

Peter felt confident he had Amy voting for Matty but he still felt it risky to throw his and Jenn's votes at him.

When the Ettenan tribe arrived at tribal council, Amy was still fuming but starting to reconsider. _Maybe he was just saying that to Peter for who knows what reason. I don't even know if Peter or Jenn will take me to the final 2._ She had to stop her thoughts as Jeff asked them,

"37 days out here. I know a lot of them weren't fun. What's driving you guys?"

"The money, man. I need that money for my family. I know what kind of difference it could make in our lives," answered Matty.

"Is that what's driving you, Peter: the money?"

"The money sure is a nice motivator and it would really help out my family as well, but for me; as a fan, the desire to win is driving me. I want the title of the game I love so much, the game I respect so much, the game that I've spent years watching and analyzing and hoping one day to be a part of. I want to conquer this game; so I want to go as far as I can go, do the best that I can, and win. So, yes the money motivates me, but I'm really here for the game. I am here to play the game the best way I know how, and to get that feeling of accomplishment once I succeed. It's more than the money for me."

"Well, with that immunity necklace around your neck; you're not too far from the end of this game."

"Yeah, it's nice to have this on."

"Did you think that immunity was a do or die, or do you think if you didn't have it on you might still be alright tonight?"

"Oh I needed it; if I didn't win I'd be gone in a unanimous vote."

"Really? Does everyone agree with that?"

Everyone nodded their heads.

"Can someone explain this to me? Last I knew; the alliances were along tribal lines; Jenn and Peter on one side, Matty and Amy on the other."

"Well, it was like that Jeff, but then Jenn flipped against me," explained Peter.

"Wow. Jenn, he just outed you. Do you wanna explain what he's talking about?"

"Matty came to me with a deal: If I vote for Peter; he'd take me to the final 2. If I didn't; he and Amy would force me to compete in a tiebreaker fire challenge."

"Wow that puts you in a hairy situation. She just said you had a final 2 deal with her."

"Yeah, Matty. I thought you had a final 2 deal with me," said Amy.

"I do; I just told Jenn that so she'd flip against Peter!" explained Matty.

"Pretty eye-opening tribal council," commented Jeff.

"If you're going to the final 2 with Jenn; are you voting for me tonight?" asked Amy accusingly.

"No, we have a plan: we vote for Jenn," said Matty.

"I don't know what to believe now," said Amy.

"Wait, so the new plan once Peter won immunity was to vote for Jenn?" asked Jeff.

"Yes!" exclaimed Matty.

"Did you know about this?" Jeff asked Jenn.

"Yeah, I knew, but I don't know who to vote for or what's going on now."

"Well with a lot of uncertainty concerning this vote; I'm sure you're all eager to see what happens. Peter, you have the individual immunity necklace. You can choose to keep it or assign it to someone else."

"I'll keep it, Jeff."

"Cannot vote for Peter; everyone else is fair game. It is time to vote. Matty, you're up."

Matty cast his vote for Jenn and said,

"We have to stick to the plan, sorry but you gotta go."

Once everyone else voted and Jeff came back with the urn, he said,

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. I'll read the votes."

"First vote-Jenn."

Jenn wasn't surprised.

"Matty."

"Amy. 1 vote Jenn, 1 vote Matty, 1 vote Amy, 1 vote left."

 _I thought I was the swing vote. What's happening?_ wondered Amy.

"The 16th person voted out of Survivor Bora-Bora and the 6th member of our jury-Amy. That's 2, that's enough. You'll have to bring me your torch."

Amy's mouth was still open when she walked over to Jeff. As he snuffed her torch, he said,

"Amy, your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

 **Vote**

Matty-Jenn

 **1 vote Jenn**

Amy-Matty

 **1 vote Matty**

Jenn-Amy

Peter-Amy

 **2 votes Amy**

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 16 (Season Finale Part 2)

X-eliminated

Contestants:

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle **X**

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon **X** Henry Kaider **X**

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren **X**

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick

Ricky Nickson **X** Amy Chan **X**

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee **X**

Alicia Brown **X** Juan Rodriguez **X**

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne **X**

Joanne Lopez **X**

Diane Baxter **X**

Jon Kelly **X**

 _Wow, Final 3,_ thought Peter as he walked back from tribal council. Of course he knew he'd go to the final 3 ever since he won immunity, but it felt so much more real now that only 3 people were walking back from camp. The bad part was; Matty was one of those 3.

Matty was shocked from tribal council. He was left completely out of loop. He felt betrayed, played, and stupid. _I thought I knew exactly what was going on tonight: Amy and I'd vote for Jenn, and Jenn and Peter would vote for me. But it wasn't even Peter or Jenn who ended up voting for me. It was my closest ally: Amy. I was so close to getting voted out tonight._

Tribal council for Peter was bittersweet. While he and Jenn both made it through, he might have made a serious mistake by allowing Matty to survive as well. _It might have been safe at the time but he's my biggest threat and I had him in the crosshairs, yet I let him get away. I can't believe I'm thinking this, but maybe Jenn was right: we should have gone with Amy and voted for Matty. I was just over-thinking things and getting paranoid._ When the Ettenan tribe got back to camp they sat out by the fire for a while.

"I was so close to getting voted out. I've never received a vote before. It's so weird," said Matty.

"You'll get used to it," assured Peter, seeing as how Peter had received 36 votes.

"I hope not. I don't wanna get another one."

"Well, you're gonna have to win this next immunity challenge," said Peter.

"So do you," replied Matty.

Both men knew the final immunity challenge was requisite. It was a foregone conclusion that Jenn would not win and that the both of them would take Jenn to the end; effectively eliminating the other. Therefore to stay alive; immunity was the only way either man could avoid being voted out.

Both tried to rest for the all important immunity challenge, but their minds were racing and neither one managed much more than an hour of sleep.

Jeff Probst personally woke up the final 3 at 4:00 in the morning for Day 38. He explained that they would have to get ready quickly for the Rights of Passage ceremony on their way to their final immunity challenge. The trio ate breakfast and got ready within 30 minutes and headed off. For the Rites of Passage, they paddled in their canoe and collected the snuffed torches of the 15 voted off castaways. (Rosie quit and Jon was medically evacuated before getting a torch so they were not included) Each time they collected a torch; they said a nice thing of that particular castaway before throwing the torch into the canoe. This continued until they collected Amy's torch; the last person voted out. Once they had everyone's torch they threw it into a giant wooden statue of a Polynesian idol. They then lit the idol on fire. It surprisingly didn't take very long and they were at their final immunity challenge at around 5:00 AM.

"Are you guys ready to get to your final immunity challenge?"

"Yup."

"First things first; Peter give it up."

Peter handed Jeff the immunity necklace.

"For the last time, immunity is back up for grabs. For your final immunity challenge; you will each be holding onto a metal pole coming out of a buoy standing barefoot on a very small metal disk. You will hang on to the buoy for as long as you can. Just a couple of rules; you can't sit on the metal disk and no part of you can touch any part of the buoy below the metal disk. The last person left standing wins immunity; guaranteed a spot in the final 2 and has the sole power to decide who goes with them to the final tribal council. Let's get to it."

The final 3 swam out to their buoys. They each stood up on their metal disks.

"Is everyone situated on their disks?"

They all nodded their heads.

"Good because this challenge is on."

Everyone tried to find a comfortable position. They alternated between standing up straight to crouching down. Nothing was really comfortable. The disk they were standing on was extremely small and caused pain in their feet and ankles. When they crouched down; it hurt their back. There was no way to escape the pain.

Jenn was moving around the most. She crouched down and her back hurt. She stood up and her feet hurt. _This sucks. I don't wanna be out here. It hurts. It hurts too much. I can't do it anymore,_ she told herself. Then the wind and the rain came.

"You guys have been out here for 1 hour. How are you feeling Matty?"

"Feeling good."

"Think you can win this immunity?"

"No doubt in my mind that I will win."

"How about you, Peter; do you think you can win?"

"I have to win."

"Nobody's just gonna opt off of this challenge. There's too much at stake."

 _I wanna opt off,_ thought Jenn.

"Very windy out here; gonna make it even harder to balance. Do you think the rain will play a big factor in this challenge, Matty?"

"Not to me. Nothing's gonna stop me from winning."

"Do you think this'll go awhile?"

"Probably. I hope so; I like it out here."

"What about you, Jenn; are you enjoying it out here?"

"No," she said pitifully. If it weren't for the rain, they'd be able to see the tears run down her face.

"You hurting?"

"Yeah." She sounded like a child who just had their candy taken from them.

"Where are you feeling it?"

"My back, my feet, my legs, everywhere. This wind sucks, this rain sucks. I don't wanna do this anymore. I can't do this anymore."

"You wanna step down, step down," said Jeff.

Jenn hopped down and paddled to the platform where Jeff was sitting.

"Jenn steps down after an hour and 10 minutes. Just like that; we are down to 2. Peter and Matty: the last two standing; fighting for immunity. Both of you need to win. It's gonna come down to willpower. Who can take the most pain?"

The pain had started to set in for Peter. He had had back problems since he was a teenager. He could only crouch down so long on his pole before sharp pain shot into his lower back. He spent most of his time standing up straight, but the pain in his feet was unavoidable. Luckily, it was an aching pain which was tolerable.

Matty was feeling the pain as well. He was a bit heavier than Peter, which he thought put more pressure on his feet. His feet ached as if he had taken a long hike.

An hour slowly rolled by and then another. No words were exchanged; all they heard was the sound of the wind.

"You guys have been up here for 3 hours now. It is 8 o'clock in the morning. Most people waking up right around now; you guys have been standing on a pole for a few hours."

"What's hurting, Peter?"

"My back; I've had back problems for a while now. My feet and ankles were hurting, but they went numb about an hour ago."

"How about you, Matty? Feeling good?"

"Pretty good, my feet are a little sore."

"Think you can beat Peter?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think, Peter? Think you're gonna win?"

"Yeah. I don't think Matty likes the pain as much as me. I like it a little bit too much," he joked.

Peter tried to drink some of the rain water. The next 7 hours were silent.

"We have been out here for 10 hours. No one has even brought up the idea of a deal."

"Okay Peter, I'll end this. If you step down; I'll take you to the end," suggested Matty.

"You know as well as I do; that's a lie," accused Peter sharply.

"Well that's your choice. Now I'm gonna beat you and vote you out," threatened Matty.

"I don't think so."

"You can't win, Peter; not even against Jenn. Why not take the deal and be a runner-up?"

"Even if you're right; I'm not gonna go out like this. I'm not gonna take a deal. I'm not going to put my life in your hands."

"Well buck up, cause' I'm not stepping down," threatened Matty.

"Then you'll fall down because I will not lose. I can't let myself lose," explained Peter.

They both badly wanted the deal to end the competition. They could both feel the pain all over now. Their feet were sore and painful, their ankles were weak and strained, their backs had been aching for hours, the rain chilled them to the bone, and the lack of food or water for hours gave them both headaches.

It was odd. For a long time now; Peter and Matty had been the leaders of opposing alliances and they were each others' primary targets. Yet through mistakes with voting, confusion, and immunity wins by both of them; they both managed to get to the final 3. It came down to this immunity challenge. They were the last two left and they planned on voting the other one out. There would be no mistake tonight on whose name they would write down. Both needed to win the immunity challenge.

The rain ceased and the hot sun bore down on them. It was over 100 degrees. They watched each other silently for any signs of weakness.

"Congratulations, you guys have been up there for 12 hours. You both have officially broken the record for the longest ever _Survivor_ challenge.

"Woohoo."

After 15 hours night fell and the wind and rain returned strongly. Matty and Peter opened their dry mouths to drink some rainwater, but it hardly made a difference in their now intense thirst.

After 16 hours they were both nauseated and sore. Sharp pain shot through both their bodies through their feet and backs, but both men stayed focused. _I have to win this for my family. I can't let them down,_ reminded Matty.

After another hour the wind and rain intensified. The wind pushed their buoys and they hung at a 45 degree angle putting a strain on their forearms to hang on.

An hour passed and Peter felt sharp pain all through his body. He had to force his eyes open to keep from getting too disoriented. He tried to stay focused. He knew what this challenge meant. _This is my dream. I can't quit. I have to stay up here. This is my only chance._

Matty wasn't doing too well either. He was completely disoriented from the nausea. Every time he closed his eyes everything started to spin. The rain impairing his vision didn't help either. His arms were sore as well as his legs and back. The lack of sleep was taking its toll. He closed his eyes and everything started spinning again. He immediately opened them, but the world was still spinning. He felt weak and he couldn't focus on anything. _Why is everything spinning? My arms, my arms are so weak. I can't hold on. I can't even feel my arms any more. So weak, so weak…_

Matty collapsed into the water. Peter dove in to get him. He grabbed him and swam him over to the platform. They had Matty drink water as the _Survivor_ medical team came in to check him out. Once he had some water he was a lot better and the medics said his blood pressure was pretty low and he was dehydrated, but he would be alright.

A humongous feeling of disappointment came over Matty. _I needed this. This was my only way to win and I failed. I failed my family; they needed this money and I couldn't do it. I wasn't good enough._

Once the medical team left and Matty stood up, Jeff announced,

"Peter, congratulations; you win your fourth immunity. None more important than this one; you're safe tonight at tribal council; guaranteed a spot in the final 2. You will present your case to the jury. More importantly you will decide who sits next to you. It's a tough decision and you'll have to make it quickly because it's pretty late and we have to head straight to tribal council."

They took a boat ride to tribal council. As they rode, Peter finally realized that he won immunity. He did it. He pulled it out. _After years of dreaming of this moment; it's finally here. I won and now I'm going to the end. I'm gonna make it to Day 39. I made it._

Due to how late it was, tribal council was more of Jeff Probst quickly explaining what happened at the immunity challenge.

"Immunity challenge went very late. Both you and Matty hung on for just over 18 hours. Matty was extremely dehydrated and nauseated by the time he fell down and you won immunity, Peter. How were you feeling at the time?"

"I felt so sick. I had to keep my eyes open to keep from getting the spins, I was sore all over, I felt like puking, but I stayed focused. I knew I needed to win this immunity challenge,' replied Peter.

"Well, you certainly earned it. How good does it feel to know you're going to the final 2?"

"It's like a dream come true. I've been fantasizing for years of being here and to know I'm gonna go as far as I can go is amazing. It's an amazing feeling," explained Peter.

"How about you, Jenn; you dropped out after about an hour, how does it feel knowing you could go all this way and still fall one day short? You're vulnerable?"

"It sucks, but that's the way it goes."

"You act as if this doesn't mean that much to you," commented Jeff.

"Well, I want a million dollars, but if I don't win; I don't win."

"Matty, you were in bad shape after the challenge."

"You know, I gave it everything I had and eventually my body gave out. It feels terrible to know I'm not safe."

"Peter, you have the sole power to vote one of these two out; how hard of a decision is that?"

"It's a tough position to be in, but the choice is pretty clear to me."

"Well, if you're minds made up; let's get to it. Just to be clear: Peter, since you have immunity; no one can vote for you. That means Jenn can only vote for Matty, Matty can only vote for Jenn; their votes cancel each other out. Jenn and Matty; you will not vote tonight. Peter is the only person who will vote tonight. Peter; you will vote out the 17th and final person from this game; in doing so you will decide who you bring with you to the final tribal council. This can be a million dollar vote. It is time to vote. Peter, you're up."

Peter voted and Jeff brought back the urn.

"Once the vote is read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave the tribal council area immediately. I'll read the vote."

"The 17th person voted out of Survivor Bora-Bora and the seventh and final member of our jury-Matty. You'll have to bring me your torch."

Matty brought Jeff his torch. He had expected to do so. As Jeff snuffed his torch he said,

"Matty, your tribe has spoken. It's time for you to go."

Once Matty waved goodbye and left, Jeff said,

"Peter, Jenn; you have gone as far as you can go in this game. The power now shifts to the jury; 7 people whom you either directly or indirectly had a hand in voting out now hold your fate in their hands. You got one more night; enjoy it. I'll see you two tonight for your final tribal council."

Survivor Dream Season Ep. # 16 (Season Finale Part 2)

X-eliminated

Contestants:

Ganando Tribe: Perdiendo Tribe:

Peter Larkin Lisa Loelle **X**

Jennifer Rosenberg

Mike Lanyon **X** Henry Kaider **X**

Pearl Harper **X** Buck Warren **X**

Jack Reynolds **X** Matty Wick **X**

Ricky Nickson **X** Amy Chan **X**

Rosie Hart **X** Pam Lee **X**

Alicia Brown **X** Juan Rodriguez **X**

Eddy Pablo **X** Michelle Ne **X**

Joanne Lopez **X**

Diane Baxter **X**

Jon Kelly **X**

 **The Jury**

Mike

Buck

Michelle

Juan

Lisa

Amy

Matty

As Peter walked back from tribal council; he thought about his decision to vote off Matty. _It was an easy decision. I would have lost to Matty by a 7-0 vote if I took him. With Jenn, at least I have a chance._ Then he thought how much more Matty deserved to sit up there than Jenn. _But I want to win. It was my only option._ Peter stopped thinking about it as he collapsed into the shelter.

When the Ettenan tribe woke up they ate their customary Day 39 feast. Peter gorged on the delicious food. The rest of the day was just going through the motions. Peter and Jenn didn't talk much. Despite being aligned from Day 1; they didn't like each other. They stayed out of each other's way. They ate their feast and gathered their belongings. Peter took one last trip to the waterfall. The beautiful waterfall relaxed him as he prepared his responses for the final tribal council. He swam in the pool and in the cave. He rode down the waterfall a few times. Before long it was time for the final tribal council. They burned their shelter and headed off.

After Peter and Jenn walked in to tribal council and placed their torches, Jeff brought in the jury.

"We'll now bring in the members of our jury."

"Mike,"

"Buck,"

"Michelle,"

"Juan,"

"Lisa,"

"Amy,"

"and Matty voted off at the last tribal council."

"Welcome to your Final Tribal Council. You have done what 18 others failed to do: you made it to the end, but tonight the power shifts to the jury: 7 people who you had a hand in voting out now have your fate in their hands. They will decide whose most worthy of the title: Sole Survivor and the million dollar prize that goes with it. It's your job to convince the jury that you are the most worthy of that title. This is how it will work. You'll both have your opening statements, then the jury can address you with questions or comments. Then we will vote. Opening statements: Jenn, you're up.

"I think I deserve to win this million dollars because of my road in this game. I overcame a lot of adversity to get here. I went to every tribal council. I had to play this game hard from the very beginning. I had to make alliances and choose which one would take me to the end. Sometimes I came off as mean, but that was just in the context of the game. I want to be friends with all of you outside of this game and I hope you decide to give me your vote," said Jenn.

"Peter, you're up."

"As I think you all know; I'm a huge fan of this game. Since I was around 8 or so; it's been my dream to have the opportunity to play. I wrote papers, stories, and dream seasons of this game. I even replicated a _Survivor_ challenge in my backyard just to get that feeling of being on _Survivor._ So this entire journey has been a blessing to me. When I heard that I was gonna be on this season, that I made it; I knew I would do everything in my power to stay as long as possible and to conquer this game. The game I love so much, the game I respect so much, the game I've spent years of analyzing and preparing for. And that's what I did when I got here. I really had to do everything I could think of to stay 3 more days. I was targeted from Day 1. I received votes at every tribal council I wasn't immune at and I went to every tribal council. To overcome that target on my back; I had to sacrifice. I had to do things in the context of the game that I'd never do in the real world. I had to lie, I had to manipulate, and I had to betray people. I'll own that. I'll own that because it was the only way I could survive another day. I'll answer any questions you have for me, and it's been a pleasure playing this game with all of you."

"Alright Jury; now it's your first opportunity to address Peter and Jenn. I'll give you a moment to gather your thoughts."

There was a short pause before Jeff said,

"Alright jury, some of you have waited a long time to address Peter and Jenn. Your job tonight is to gather the information needed to make a very important decision: which one of these two is the most deserving of the title of Sole Survivor and the million dollars that goes with it. Let's get started. Michelle, you're up first."

"I wanna start off by saying congratulations. Whatever way you did it; you both managed to outwit, outplay, and outlast all of us, but what I want to know is how you outwitted and outplayed each other. My question for the both of you is: why is the person sitting next to you undeserving of the title of Sole Survivor? What mistakes did they make in the game, and how did you avoid those mistakes and play differently? Let's start with Jenn."

"I think I played a much cleaner game than Peter. He ended up being responsible for everyone getting voted off, while I was in the clear. I made sure to align with someone that was a bigger target than me, so I'd be safe and that's why he was always getting votes. I also was less reliant on challenges than him. Several times he had to win immunity to avoid going home. I was vulnerable at every tribal council and it was my strategic game that kept me here. I positioned myself into a spot where as long as he was in the game; I'd be safe and in the end I was in a position where it didn't matter who won immunity; everyone would take me to the end. I don't think Peter could say the same thing."

"Alright Peter, you're turn."

"Well, to me this game is composed of 4 major parts: there's the strategic game, the physical game, the social game, and the will to win the game. I don't think Jenn was determined to win. At one point Jenn even wanted to quit. That to me is a red flag. If you don't want to be here you don't deserve to be here and you certainly don't deserve to win. She was asking us to vote her off because she didn't have the determination or mental strength to push through a rainstorm. The thought of quitting never crossed my mind because I was so determined to fulfill my dream. I think I proved that when I stayed up in that immunity challenge for 18 hours when I was hurting and sick.

Next, is her physical game; I don't think she should be commended for her terrible physical performance. She competed in every challenge this season and she lost every single time. Not only did she lose every time but she never made it close to winning an individual challenge and she was the cause of most of our challenge losses in the tribal phase of this season. I, on the other hand won a majority of the individual challenges this season. She acts like that's a bad thing because I relied on winning immunity. It's true; every time I won immunity I needed it, but I think that just shows that I'm more of a well-rounded player.

Now her social game; her social game was horrendous. While I was targeted for being a strategic and physical threat; she was targeted because people didn't like her. Her personality and treatment of others was so bad that she dismantled several of the alliances I constructed because the people in my alliance couldn't stand being around her any more. She did not work around camp, she whined about the weather, she stole food and supplies, and she got into arguments with people for no reason. I never did any of those things.

Finally; her strategic game or lack thereof: despite her claim that she made an alliance with me so she could use me as a shield; I was the one who approached her with an alliance because I knew she'd do whatever I said. While I was targeted several times in this game she was on the chopping block a few times as well. But whenever I was in hot water; I scrambled to save myself and it worked. When she was in trouble; she had to rely on me to save her. She wasn't smart enough to make a plea to save herself. And the only reason why I did save her was because I knew she'd be an unworthy opponent. Every time Jenn attempted a strategic play independently of me; she voted in the minority and destroyed an alliance. Every time I made a strategic play; it worked. That's why I was behind every single vote in this game; it was all by my engineering. That's why I feel like she had a terrible strategic, social, and physical game on top of having no will to win the game and that's why she does not deserve for the title of Sole Survivor."

"Are you satisfied?" asked Jeff.

"Very," replied Michelle.

 _I think I might have gotten her vote,_ thought Peter.

"Amy," said Jeff.

"Hey guys I just want to start off by saying congratulations. Alright, Jenn I have no questions for you. Peter, this is your game to win or lose. I'll either be voting for you or against you. So Jenn, I want you to know that if I write your name down; it will be a vote against Peter, not a vote for you. So Peter, in your last question you talked about how bad Jenn's social game was; are you implying that you had a good social game?"

"Well, I don't think I was a social butterfly or friends with everyone, but I wasn't mean to anyone out there, I was polite with everyone, if I had an opportunity to do something nice like bring in a lot of fish or bring back some of a reward; I did. I think my social game had to be adequate to overcome the taboo against talking to me. I also think I had to do a pretty good job of establishing trust within different people to convince them to vote a certain way. So, yeah I think my social game was alright."

"Okay, now you also mentioned that Jenn relied on you in the game whereas you relied on yourself. Are you saying that luck didn't affect your game; you always relied on yourself?"

"Of course not, luck definitely played a factor in my game as it does with everyone in the history of _Survivor._ I definitely needed some luck for several of my strategic plays to work, because as you know someone's mood or personality can dictate whether they'd be open to changing their voting plans. It was also lucky that there was a merge at 12 instead 10 or 9, because my tribe probably would have been completely decimated at that point. I needed some luck to win a few of the immunity challenges I won. There are a million examples of luck, but I don't think any one of my moves in this game was completely dependent on luck and I think I faced a lot of bad luck in this game as well. I was put on a tribe that lost every single challenge. I don't think that was my fault. So I don't think I was _particularly_ lucky or unlucky, but it was definitely a factor in my game."

"Okay, fair enough."

"Lisa, you're up."

"Okay, I'll start with Peter first. Peter, you say you own all the different moves you've done in this game. Well, a lot of your moves involved backstabbing, lying, manipulated, throwing people under the bus; do you own that? Are you not sorry for doing all those things?"

"Lisa, I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry for any of the lies or manipulations I executed. Let me explain why. When you say "I'm sorry," you're not only apologizing for the action you took, but you are saying that you regret it, that it was a mistake, and you wouldn't do it again. And every lie I told was necessary for me to survive in the game. If I didn't lie or backstab it would've been my ass. I told myself I'd do anything and everything I could to win, because that's how I was raised. The #1 lesson my parents taught me was to never quit. Quitting is a disgrace. The way I was taught and what I believe is quitting is not just giving up, if you don't give it your all and do everything you can to win; you quit. So if you're asking me to say "I'm sorry," if you're asking me to regret any of the moves I did in this game; then you're asking me to say I would've rather quit than fought. And I will never say that. Because if I didn't make every single move I did in this game; then I would have gone home. And I would've gone home knowing I didn't do everything I could to save myself, I didn't go out fighting. So I don't regret it, so I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry for never giving up, I'm not sorry for fighting, I'm not sorry for doing everything I could to reach my dream, and I hope that doesn't make me a bad person, but that's what I believe."

"I had another question, but I think I'm done," she said.

"Thanks Lisa. Juan. Get on up."

"Peter, I wanna know how I'm supposed to vote for you when you chose to take Jenn to the final 2 instead of Matty. It's so obvious that Matty is a deserving player and Jenn is the least worthy person here to be sitting up there."

"Juan, I think it would have been a mistake if I took Matty to the end, because I know for I fact that I wouldn't win and I did everything I could to win."

"So you don't want to face a worthy competitor?"

"Not if it means losing."

"So how do I vote for a person who doesn't want to face the best competition in the end?"

"I did face Matty. I faced Matty in the game. Just because Matty isn't sitting next to me doesn't mean I was able to avoid him. I still had to find a way to vote him out and that's a hard feat to accomplish. Also, you said it yourself that Jenn's the least worthy person here; so why would you vote for someone who isn't deserving?"

"Because I'm not voting for Jenn, I'm voting against you. That's all I need to hear."

 _That was tough,_ thought Peter. _I've made a lot of enemies._

 _This is so cool,_ thought Jenn. _I don't have to say anything and I'm winning because people hate Peter._

"Matty."

"Hey guys, I want you to know, there's no hard feelings and congrats on making it to the end. My question for the both you is: what drove you in this game? What motivated you? Why did you need or want to win? Jenn, you can go first."

"I think this is pretty obvious. I think it's the same for all of us. I wanted the money."

"What did that money mean to you?" asked Matty.

"It meant I could go buy a new car, get a better apartment, I don't know. Money is good to have," responded a confused Jenn.

"Okay, whatever; Peter, what about you?"

"I had 2 reasons for playing this game. 1 was for me and 1 was for my family. The game, the title of Sole Survivor, the strategy, the thought of conquering my dream, the thought of winning the game I've spent years of obsessing over and studying; I played that for me. The game was something else for me. I wanted to prove that I could win it because it was my dream as a fan. That's different than the money. I would've played this game if there was no cash prize, but the money: the million dollars; that was for my family. I want to win that million dollars for my family. When my parents visited here on that loved ones challenge; it really reminded me of how much the million dollars could help them. You don't know how much it could improve everything back home. It would be life-changing. Those two things drove me to do anything I could to win, and I never lost sight of that. That's why quitting never crossed my mind. There was too much at stake."

Matty was close to tears.

"I know how you feel, man; that's what drove me too."

His voice started to crack. Peter knew Matty was a total sap when it came to family. He knew talking about his family would help him get Matty's vote.

"Thank you, Matty. Alright Buck."

"I got one question and it's for Peter. How many lies did you tell in this game?"

"Honestly Buck, too many to count; I had to lie so often to save myself."

"That's what I thought, and yet you have the nerve to ask us to give you our vote for a million dollars. You have no character. You're a liar, a rat, a backstabber, a turncoat, a traitor. You're a Benedict Arnold. Look at what you did to Mike! You sold out your friends, people who were loyal to you; you threw them under the bus to save your damn self. There's something wrong inside of you that allows you to be such a disgusting, worthless, piece of Sh*t. You're a disgrace to America; you're a disgrace to mankind! Something in you allows you to lie so easily and manipulate and backstab. People like you, people like you deserve to die; that's the truth. So I beg the jury not to reward this filthy, lying rat a million dollars."

Buck paused, but stayed standing there glaring at Peter.

"You about done?" asked Peter.

"I'm done when I say I'm done."

"You know if it makes you feel better to get up on your soapbox and call me names and insult me; feel free to do so, but Jeff told you that your job was to gather information from us to make a decision on who deserves to win this game. He did not ask you to make a bitter speech, so if you're about done; I suggest you sit your ass down and quit glaring at me."

"Oh I got all the information I need to make this vote. Jenn: you're a whiner, a quitter, and a b*tch, but it's your luck that you're sitting next to the devil, so you got my vote and I hope like hell you get the rest."

Buck finally sat down.

"Mike, close it out," said Jeff.

"Before I get to my question; I wanna say something to the jury. I think it's obvious that Peter lied in this game. He said himself and he owns up to it. Now many of you don't agree with that and I understand that because I don't agree with it either, but when we vote we shouldn't base it on who lied to us or pissed us off and who didn't; it should be who did the most to get where they are? Who worked the hardest? Who wanted it the most? And guys, this is a game. I know that's cliché, but this ain't the real world; if it were I'd be just pissed off about the lies as many of you are, but it ain't. This is a game where lying plays a big role. So if someone lies to you; they're just playing the game. Just because you chose not to play the game with lies doesn't mean everyone should do that. I didn't lie once in this game, but I ain't pissed off at anyone else who did. And I was lied to. Peter probably lied to me worse than everyone else, but you know what: I don't hold it against him because he was doing what he could to stay in the game and that's fair. I respect the fact that he wasn't quitting. I respect the fact that he was fighting even at the expense of me. So if I can forgive that then all of you sure as hell better be able to."

Mike then paused.

"Now onto my question. This one's for both of you. I want to know, from the merge, every single thing you did to get where you are. Peter, you can go first."

"I'll start at the first vote of the merge. Going into the merge; we were down in numbers and I was the target of the majority alliance because they thought I was the leader. So to stay in the game: I wore my fake idol in an attempt to get them to split the votes. Then when they split the votes I figured they'd vote 4 on me and 4 on Joanne, so I just voted for Joanne to save myself. To keep you, Jenn, and Joanne from flipping: I told you to vote for Henry.

At the next vote, I was the obvious target. I needed to win immunity and I didn't. I knew Pam had the idol from the merged camp, so there was no use in looking for it there, until I figured out there might still be an old idol from the Ganando tribe camp. So I paddled over there and searched for hours until I found it and I played it at tribal council. I voted for Pam to flush the other idol.

At the next vote I was still outnumbered and targeted by Henry so I set my sights on him. I got Michelle, Lisa, and Amy to flip their votes against Henry by planting my fake idol in his bag and telling them he was planning on voting them out soon. Lisa was nervous about flipping so I got her to throw her vote away to Juan; that insured that Henry would still go and he did.

Then Jenn blew up our alliance by telling Michelle about all of my lies, so I was the target again. But you won immunity and I knew Buck had the idol so I was screwed until I remembered that I still had my fake one. I convinced you it was real and then gave it to you in exchange for the immunity necklace to screw up the majority alliance's plans. When you played it, you found out it was fake and you got voted out.

Then I was still the target but I won immunity. To save Jenn: my only ally left at that point, I convinced Michelle and her core alliance to turn on Buck and Juan by telling them that they didn't trust Michelle and were willing to force a purple rock to try to get her out. They bought it and we ended up voting Buck out with his idol.

I was then in a shaky alliance with Michelle, Matty, Amy, and Lisa, but I knew they'd try to get rid of me as soon as they could so I made another alliance with Jenn and Juan. I made sure Michelle's alliance didn't suspect I was still with Jenn by telling Jenn to yell at me. I trusted Jenn and Juan more than my other alliance so I got my other alliance to split their votes. That gave me the opportunity to flop to Jenn and Juan and take out Michelle. I also found an idol.

At the next vote Jenn ruined the alliance with Juan by showing him all the supplies she stole from camp. That convinced Juan to vote against her and join the other side. The other side then decided to split the votes between me and Jenn. I had to make sure me and Jenn stayed safe, so I convinced Juan to flip his vote from me to Jenn. I then used the idol on Jenn and took out Juan because he was the biggest threat to my alliance with Jenn.

At the final 5 Jenn and I were in the minority and I was the target, so I tried to get Lisa to flip over and vote for Matty. I didn't think she would, so I told Matty that Lisa was up in the air and that we should vote her out. That's what we did.

Then Matty formed an alliance with everyone left to target me, but I won the last 2 immunity challenges to keep myself alive. That was my journey since the merge to get here."

"Alright Jenn, what votes did you control?"

"Well, I don't think there was one vote that I specifically controlled, but my game was more of positioning myself and putting the blame of votes on Peter. I tried to make sure he was the biggest target, but really I had a hand in a lot of the votes he was crediting to himself."

"Can I interrupt?" asked Peter."

"Sure," said Mike.

"I wanna say that that's a bald-faced lie. I thought up, engineered, and executed each plan and each vote I told you all about. Jenn had nothing to do with that. All Jenn did was vote for the person I told her to. She deserves no credit when it comes to the strategic planning."

"Jenn, do you want to rebut that?"

"Well, he said himself that he has lied before. He's lying right now," countered Jenn.

"Well, thank you guys and good luck," ended Mike.

"Thank you Mike and thank you jury for a very interesting final tribal council. I hope you all gathered the information necessary to make this very big decision. Which one of these two: Peter or Jenn most deserves to win this game and the million dollar check that goes with it. I'm going to give you some time to gather your thoughts and then we'll come back and we will vote."

After a long pause, Jeff said,

"Okay, Peter and Jenn you had your chance to address the jury and the jury had their chance to address you. We now get to the vote. Jury you are voting for a winner. The person's name you write down is the person you think is most deserving of winning this game and the million dollars that goes with it. 39 days of _Survivor_ is a lot of work, but for one of you; it's gonna pay off. For the last time; it is time to vote. Buck, you're up."

When Buck voted he wrote Jenn's name down and said,

"Peter you're a worthless human being, this is a vote against you."

When Matty voted, he said,

"Peter, you deserve this, man. You worked hard to get here. I hope this helps you and your family out."

Once everyone was done voting, Jeff brought back the urn and said,

"Thank you for an amazing season of _Survivor._ I'd love to read these right now, but I'll see all of you in the states for the reading of the votes."

He then walked out. _Holy crap, I don't know if I won or not. I think I have a chance,_ thought Peter. Even though the game he loved so much was over, a huge feeling of relief came over him. _That's it, I'm done. I've done all I can. Now I can relax and hope I won._

Jenn was pretty confident after the vote. _I think I have a good chance. Everyone was pissed off at Peter. A million bucks, baby!_

But they had to wait until finally it was time for the live reading of the votes in the CBS television city, Hollywood. Jeff walked onto stage with the jurors and the final 2 waiting for him. He was holding the urn. Once the crowd quieted down, Jeff said,

"Okay, without further ado, it is time to read the votes."

Everyone cheered. Peter looked to his parents and family in the audience.

"Peter, Jenn; I'm sure you've been very eager for this moment and it is here. Here we go."

He opened the urn and took out the first vote.

"First vote-Peter."

About half the crowd cheered. Peter could barely contain his excitement. _I know I won't get blown out._

"Peter."

 _Holy crap! I could win this thing!_

He could hear his mom cheering wildly.

"Jenn. 2 votes Peter. 1 vote Jenn."

 _Yes. Gimme 3 more,_ thought Jenn.

"Jenn. We're tied 2 votes Jenn, 2 votes Peter."

 _I'm okay. I can still win. You knew she'd get at least 2 votes, Peter,_ he reminded himself.

"Jenn. 2 votes Peter, 3 votes Jenn, it takes 4 to win. Jenn could do it right here."

 _No, I failed. She got it. They were too bitter. I have to let go of my dream,_ Peter concluded.

 _Woohoo! I got this in the bag!_ thought Jenn.

"Peter. We're tied. 3 votes Peter, 3 votes Jenn, 1 vote left. This is as close as it gets."

 _Yes! I'm still in this! I can still win. Holy Sh*t; It comes down to one vote,_ realized Peter.

 _I'm still gonna win,_ Jenn reminded herself.

"The winner of Survivor Bora-Bora-Peter."

 **Vote:**

Buck-Jenn

Amy-Jenn

Juan-Jenn

 **3 votes Jenn**

Matty-Peter

Michelle-Peter

Lisa-Peter

Mike-Peter

 **4 votes Peter**

1A purple rock tiebreaker occurs when there is a deadlock tie. To break the tie every non-immune contestant reaches into a bag of colored rocks. Only one rock is purple. The person who picked the purple rock is eliminated even if that person did not receive votes)


End file.
